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Daily news - 28th October 2025 |
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UK news
New funding schemes from the SSA and Office for Life Sciences
The SSA will run new funding schemes as part of the UK Government’s Addiction Healthcare Goals flagship research leadership programme | SSA, UK
Open call for evidence - Reforming the licensing system
Closes at midday on 6 November 2025. The government invites views and evidence to inform the development of a modern, proportionate and enabling licensing system. This call for evidence builds on the Licensing Taskforce recommendations and the government’s response and supports the government’s commitment to reduce regulatory burdens by 25% by the end of this Parliament. This call for evidence focuses on the ‘on trade’ in relation to alcohol sales, for example pubs, restaurants and nightclubs, and on all entertainment licensed under the Licensing Act 2003 | Home Office and Department for Business and Trade, UK
Addiction meant sobriety or six feet under, says TV star
Former professional skateboarder, Pritchard, 52, was propelled into the limelight in the early 2000s after being scouted for MTV's extreme prank series Dirty Sanchez and "soaked up" all the drinks, drugs and partying that came with his newfound fame | BBC, UK
'I quit smoking for 10 more years with my grandchildren'
A former miner has said his love for his grandchildren and the death of a close friend had finally given him the motivation to quit his decades-long smoking habit | BBC, UK
Peer trying to derail UK smoking ban discussed bill with relative at tobacco firm
Lord Strathcarron says he and an in-law ‘high up’ at British American Tobacco discussed bill, which he aims to weaken | Guardian, UK
Concerns continue over drug use at 'smart prison'
The Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) said it "continues to be concerned" about the number and range of illicit items found at Five Wells prison, in Northamptonshire | BBC, UK
The Manifesto Sessions: #5 Trauma Informed Practice - video
As part of our ‘Setting the blueprint for a more equal and prosperous Wales for people who use substances’, we want all substance use services in Wales to be underpinned by a trauma-informed approach. Research from Public Health Wales (PHW) in 2015 found that 47% of adults in Wales have suffered at least one Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE). And there are many other adversities that people can experience during their lives including racism, discrimination, and structural inequalities | Barod, UK
Street Drugs Discussions: Drug Death Statistics
Wed, 26 Nov 2025 12:00 - 14:00 GMT. A deep dive into how coroners count and categorise drug-related deaths, featuring a panel of experts on the subject | Drug Science, UK
Border force officer charged after heroin seized
A border force officer at Birmingham Airport has been charged with conspiring to import class A drugs after heroin was seized from a suitcase | BBC, UK
International news
Nicotine and medical research – a background
Nicotine has been widely accepted as a smoking cessation aid in the form of Nicotine Replacement Therapies (NRT) since the 1980s, and has been included in the World Health Organization’s List of Essential Medicines to treat ‘nicotine dependence’ since 2009.[1] But the therapeutic use of nicotine in medicine has a history – and potentially a future – that extends beyond its most common application. Research has indicated that nicotine could be a promising drug in managing and treating certain conditions, including Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, neurodivergences, and psychosis | GSTHR, UK
Why a tax-hike on e-cigarettes is prompting vapers to bulk buy - audio
Mark Murphy, Senior Policy Manager with the Irish Heart Foundation; Dr Garrett McGovern, Medical Director and Addiction Specialist at the Priority Medical Clinic | RTe, Ireland
“Psychedelics Is Where Science Is Encountering the Sacred” — In Conversation with Bill Richards, PhD
In Drugreporter’s new interview, Bill Richards, a pioneering psychologist and theologian who has explored the therapeutic and spiritual dimensions of psychedelics since the 1960s, reflects on the rebirth of psychedelic research and the enduring healing power of mystical experience | Drug Reporter, Hungary
Increased risk of developing alcohol addiction linked to gene mutation
Researchers from the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine) report that the gene, CHRNA3, acts as a key regulator of alcohol sensitivity. Published in the Journal of Neuroscience, the study provides long-sought experimental evidence to back up human genetic studies, linking CHRNA3 function changes to measurable differences in innate alcohol sensitivity | Medical Xpress, USA
Study examines trends for use of medications for opioid use disorder among surgical patients
In an effort to stem the death toll from opioid overdose, United States public health officials have promoted the prescription and use of medications like buprenorphine that blunt the effects of illicit opioids such as fentanyl | Medical Xpress, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Is vaping really a gateway to smoking? New review of youth vaping confirms uncertainty
Vaping can help people quit smoking whilst significantly decreasing their exposure to deadly toxins and improving their health outcomes (Lindson et al., 2025; Royal College of Physicians 2024). However, with a rise in teen vaping among those who have never regularly smoked, people are questioning whether vaping could lead to a rise in subsequent teen smoking. This idea is commonly referred to as “the gateway hypothesis” | Mental Elf, UK
Regulatory capture in UK alcohol licensing policy: The 2025 ‘licensing taskforce’ report
The UK Government has launched an expedited review of alcohol licensing, based on the report of a taskforce dominated by industry advocates. If adopted, the proposals could undermine foundational principles of licensing practice, reduce accountability and hollow out the power of elected licensing committees | Addiction editorial, UK
Do almost 200 billion unique identifiers on tobacco products facilitate investigations on illicit tobacco trade?
Thirty years ago, the main type of illicit trade was large-scale cigarette smuggling: containers of cigarettes were exported, legally and duty unpaid, to countries where they had no market, and where they then disappeared into the contraband market. More traceability was considered as one of the measures to combat this type of cigarette smuggling. The aim of Tracking and Tracing (T&T) was to facilitate investigations on illicit tobacco trade | BMJ Tobacco Control blog, UK
In Waves and War review – Navy Seals battle PTSD with psychedelic therapy
Sombre documentary sees US soldiers give brave testimony while undergoing ibogaine and 5-MeO-DMT treatment to confront their traumas | Guardian, UK
Is it true that … hangovers get worse as we age?
We ask an expert whether the morning after really does become more severe as we get older | Guardian, UK