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Daily news - 17th October 2025

UK news

Young people given stark warning on deadly risks of taking drugs

The government has launched a new campaign to alert young people to the dangers of ketamine, counterfeit medicines and adulterated THC vapes | Department of Health and Social Care and Ashley Dalton MP, UK

New frank campaign launches today to raise awareness of the risks of prolonged use of Ketamine - video

So let’s talk about ket. Common negative side effects of using ketamine include memory problems, hallucinations, confusion, dissociation and feeling disconnected from yourself, your thoughts and your feelings, nausea, agitation, impaired thinking | nowordsuk, UK

Drugs cut with dangerous substances - video

You never really know what is in any street drug or counterfeit medicine, whether purchased online or on the street. Be cautious of any drug sold illegally, including by illicit online pharmacies | nowordsuk, UK

Lancashire mum awaiting potential bladder transplant warns about the dangers of ketamine

Amber Currah, 27, began using the powerful drug, known widely as a horse tranquilliser, when she was 17-years-old, unaware of the long-term risks | ITV, UK

Better regulation, better Care. Consultation on improving how we assess and rate providers

Respond by 5pm on 11 December 2025. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has opened a consultation on proposed changes to how it assesses and rates health and care providers. These proposals aim to enhance the effectiveness and transparency of their regulatory approach | CQC, UK

Experts urge UK to ban cigarette filters to protect health and environment

Researchers say filters do not reduce toxicant exposure and are major contributor to plastic waste crisis | Guardian, UK [See editorial in blogs section below]

Longer pub hours 'cause more abuse and disorder'

A police chief has criticised government plans to allow pubs and bars to stay open for longer. Joy Allen, Durham and Darlington's Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), said the proposals could lead to more drink-related "serious violence" and health problems, with the taxpayer having to foot the bill | BBC, UK

Alcohol-Free Childhood Campaign Webinar

Nov 6 · 2:00 PM GMT. Join us for a webinar exploring alcohol marketing in Scotland and its impact on children and young people! | Alcohol Focus Scotland, UK

Nurse struck off after drug dealing conviction

Toby James Bunting, 52, of Park Road, Peterborough, was jailed for 30 months in August last year after being found guilty of possessing class A and B drugs with intent to supply, with a street value of almost £11,000 | BBC, UK

Man tried to smuggle drugs into prison with drone

Salisbury Crown Court was told police were called to HMP Erlestoke in Wiltshire in the early hours of 1 October 2023 to reports a low-flying drone was being used to deliver a package into the category C men's prison | BBC, UK

International news

Ozempic and Wegovy might help slow how fast you get drunk, new research finds

Approximately 178,000 people die from excessive drinking each year. But researchers say popular weight loss drugs could help people get drunk slower | Independent, UK

Effect of exercise on mental health and alcohol consumption in individuals with alcohol use disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis

[Open access] Only randomised trials – considered the most convincing way to prove an effect – were included in this synthesis of the evidence, bolstering confidence in the findings that including exercise in the treatment of problem drinkers improves mental health and among European populations, also reduces drinking | BMJ Open, UK

International law enforcement group set up to go after world’s most dangerous drugs traffickers

The National Crime Agency, Western Balkan and international partners will work together in a new group to fight organised crime groups from the Western Balkans that smuggle cocaine from South America to Europe, devastating communities across the route | NCA, UK

Scientific distinctions between coca and cocaine support policy reform

The coca bush, a sacred South American crop plant, is classified alongside cocaine and heroin as a Schedule I controlled substance under international law. This scheduling, and the myriad effects of prohibition, have fostered a general perception that coca and its purified alkaloid cocaine are one and the same. Yet this conflation obscures a striking contrast | IDPC, UK

US admiral to retire amid military strikes in Caribbean and tensions with Venezuela

Alvin Holsey just took over the US southern command late last year for a position that normally lasts three years | Guardian, UK

Survivors reported after latest US attack on alleged drug boat in Caribbean

It is unknown whether US military rendered aid to survivors after attack on suspected ‘narcoterrorist’ vessel | Guardian, UK

OK Boomer: A longitudinal analysis unravelling generational cohort differences in alcohol consumption among Australians

[Open access] Alcohol consumption is a key preventable cause of disease and injury worldwide. Recent evidence suggests that younger generations may be consuming less alcohol. However, it is still uncertain whether this trend is temporary or indicative of an enduring generational shift. This study sought to determine whether there are generational differences in alcohol consumption in Australia, while accounting for age and other sociodemographic factors | Addiction, UK

Minister for Mental Health announces Budget 2026 funding to expand Mental Health National Clinical Programmes and bed capacity

The Minister for Mental Health Mary Butler has today announced a significant new investment of €10 million in eight new specialist mental health teams and a further €6.8 million of additional funding to open 31 inpatient beds as part of Budget 2026 | Department of Health, Ireland

Treating the trauma behind drug addiction 'best bang for your buck'

James O’Shea, chair of Addiction Counsellors of Ireland (ACI), said trauma runs through families “like a fire” but it can be treated. Appearing before the Oireachtas Committee on Drugs, Mr O’Shea said treatment of trauma has greater success than treatment of addiction, which, is more difficult, he believes | Irish Examiner, Ireland

National Drugs Forum 2025

Thursday, November 13. This year’s National Drugs Forum will explore how quality standards, assurance methods, and evaluation tools support continuous improvement in drug services. As the drug landscape evolves—with new substances, changing demographics, and regionalisation under Sláintecare—services must adapt to emerging needs while maintaining evidence-based, human rights–focused practices | HRB, Ireland

[Open access] The figures were staggering: among 133,144 US primary care patients, just 820 were identified as problem drinkers by formal markers in digital health records, but another 47,514 possibles were found by computerised analysis of the same records using artificial intelligence. The technique could dramatically extend the reach of primary care interventions for problem drinking | DAD, USA

One in four transplant hepatologists shows signs of unhealthy alcohol use, new survey finds

One in four hepatologists in the United States screened positive for unhealthy alcohol use in a survey study conducted by UCLA. Researchers say the findings underscore the critical need for accessible physician wellness programs and reduced stigma around doctors seeking help | Medical Xpress, USA

California's governor signs veteran-backed bill to accelerate study of psychedelics for PTSD, mental health

Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed a bill to fast-track the study of psychedelic drugs, which a coalition of veterans say hold enormous potential to treat post-traumatic stress disorder and depression | Medical Xpress, USA

Blogs, comment and opinion

Banning cigarette filters in the United Kingdom: Time to correct misperceptions of harms

Since the inception of filter-tipped cigarettes, followed by ventilated filters (i.e. ‘light’ cigarettes), tobacco companies have promoted cigarettes with filters as ‘safer’ than unfiltered cigarettes. However, an established, industry-independent, body of evidence has shown that filters and filter ventilation do not reduce toxicant exposure from smoking | Addiction editorial, UK

Early Adult Mortality in a Cross-National Context—Reconsidering American Exceptionalism Before and After the COVID-19 Pandemic

US mortality has long been considered exceptional. Since the mid-1980s, mortality in the US has been higher than in other wealthy nations, and over the last 15 years, that disadvantage has grown. Most research on these trends has focused on US adults at midlife (typically aged 45 to 64 years), whose mortality worsened compared with its own past levels and with international peers | JAMA Network Commentary, USA

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