Home | Archive | Weekly | Reports
Daily news - 16th October 2025 |
 |
UK news
Poorer health linked to more votes for Reform UK in England
These are the findings of a new analysis, led by researchers at Imperial and published today in the journal BMJ Open Respiratory Research, which explore the links between health outcomes and voting patterns during the 2024 general election | Imperial College, UK
Cigarette smoking across life from 1946 to 2018: Harmonisation of four British birth cohort studies
[Open access] Tobacco smoking has declined dramatically in many high-income countries over the past seventy years. Studies that have mapped this trend have relied on repeat cross-sectional or retrospectively measured smoking data, which have limitations regarding accurate measurement, inclusion of early smokers, and capturing of within-person change over time. Here, we introduce a new resource detailing harmonisable smoking data in four British birth cohort studies spanning 1946–2018 and use these data to document age and cohort changes in smoking | Addiction, UK
Homeless prisoner died the day after early release
A prisoner died from the effects of drugs the day after he was released from prison with no accommodation to go to, a report found | BBC, UK
'Exploited' homeless woman died from drug overdose
A vulnerable woman who had been "exploited" on social media in the run up to her death died as a result of multiple drug toxicity, an inquest has found | BBC, UK
Pub Opening Hours
What discussions has the First Minister had with the UK Government about the impact on Wales of its proposed changes to pub opening hours? | They work for you, UK
Researchers and public health charity call for government to ban cigarette filters - video
Most factory-made cigarette filters are manufactured with a filter. Contrary to common belief, cigarettes with filters are not safer than unfiltered cigarettes. In fact, filters can increase the palatability of smoking and cause people to inhale more deeply | SSA, UK
East London council encourages kids to report shops trying to sell illegal vapes
An East London council is encouraging young people to report shops which are selling illegal vapes. Barking and Dagenham Council is continuing the clampdown on the practice after 5,929 illegal vapes were seized between April 2024 and March 2025 | MyLondon, UK
International news
Understanding the role of cessation fatigue in smoking relapse: Findings from the International Tobacco Control Four Country Smoking and Vaping Survey
[Open access] Relapse risk among people who formerly smoke is influenced by task difficulty. Cessation fatigue (CF) may be a better predictor than measures such as reported strength of urges to smoke (SUTS) and abstinence self-efficacy (ASE). It may also be affected by quit length and use of other nicotine products. The current study investigated whether post-quitting CF predicts higher relapse risk, its predictive utility relative to ASE and SUTS and whether the CF-relapse prediction was moderated by time since quitting | Addiction, UK
EU to launch review of EU Tobacco Control law next year
The European Commission is to unveil its “evaluation report” on the EU’s Tobacco Control policy framework, according to a draft of the Commission’s work plan seen by Clearing the Air | Clearing the Air, UK
E-cigarette vaping in France
In France, e-cigarettes are allowed and regulated both as consumer products and as medicinal products. Online sales of e-cigarettes are permitted, and they are widely available in general retail outlets. However, health claims promoting e-cigarettes are not allowed, and there is a complete ban on all forms of advertising | GSTHR, UK
Emergency department presentations, hospitalisations and police seizure data related to gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) in New South Wales, Australia, from 2015 to 2024
Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) is an endogenous neurochemical and illicit synthetic drug. Its precursors, gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) and 1,4-butanediol (1,4-BD), are often used as substitutes. We aimed to describe GHB-related harms in New South Wales (NSW), Australia | Addiction, UK
USU: Finland sees rise in drinking deaths again after downward trend
The number of alcohol-related deaths in Finland has started to increase once again in recent years following a sustained period of falling numbers, according to a report by news group Uutissuomalainen (USU) | YLE, Finland
Global drug addiction mortality rates double despite fewer new cases
Despite fewer new addiction cases worldwide, a sweeping analysis finds drug-related deaths surging, exposing critical failures in global harm-reduction and recovery systems | News Medical, USA
GLP-1 drugs may delay alcohol's effects in the bloodstream
There's mounting evidence that popular drugs prescribed for diabetes management and weight loss—better known by trade names like Ozempic and Wegovy—could be effective in reducing alcohol use | Medical Xpress, USA
Over 20% of young adults use cannabis or alcohol to help them sleep, study finds
Researchers at the Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, report that more than one in five young adults in the US use cannabis or alcohol to help them fall asleep. Nearly half of those who use cannabis said they sometimes relied on it for sleep, suggesting a strong link between substance use and sleep regulation during young adulthood | Medical Xpress, USA
New study reveals alarming mental health and substance use disparities among LGBTQ+ youth
New research from the University of Delaware finds that LGBTQ+ adolescents in Delaware face strikingly higher rates of mental health challenges and substance use compared to their peers | Medical Xpress, USA
Government Consultation Amid UK Plan to Treat Vape Shops as “Unwanted”
On October 8, the United Kingdom government opened a consultation, seeking expert input on measures intended to help the country achieve “smoke-free” status by 2030. Among policies under the microscope are some concerning the critical ability of local stores to offer harm reduction products | Filter Magazine, USA
House Resumes Push to Call Fentanyl a Weapon of Mass Destruction
In Ohio, legislation that urges the Secretary of Homeland Security to designate non-pharmaceutical fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction (WMD) has started to move again. Senate Concurrent Resolution 1 cleared the Senate in February and was referred to the House Committee on Community Revitalization, but then no further action was taken. On October 14, the committee granted the bill its first hearing | Filter Magazine, USA
As illicit tobacco sales rise into the billions, economist Arthur Laffer puts blame on high tobacco taxation rate
Internal tobacco industry data estimates the illicit tobacco market now makes up 64 per cent of all tobacco consumed in Australia and 82 per cent of the total nicotine consumed | abc.net.au, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
The Importance of Language – Not Proportioning Blame
Working in the Drug and Alcohol sector, we are witnessing an increasing number of deaths whether due to drug use, alcohol use, physical health issues, or mental health challenges. These sad outcomes often lead to coronial inquests... | AntiStigma Network, UK