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Daily news - 4th September 2025

UK news

Warning over cannabis use as self-medication

Those who use cannabis to self-medicate are at greater risk of paranoia than recreational users, the largest survey into the drug has found. The three-year study, published under two reports, [see links below] was the first to investigate why users decided to start using cannabis and how this reason affected the length of time they took it | BBC, UK

Are reasons for first using cannabis associated with subsequent cannabis consumption (standard THC units) and psychopathology?

Reasons for first using cannabis (RFUC) may influence later use patterns and mental health outcomes. However, limited research has explored self-medication versus social RFUCs in depth, and their associations with cannabis use patterns and psychopathology in the general population. We examined RFUCs and their associations with (1) reasons for continuing cannabis use, (2) weekly THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) unit consumption and (3) symptoms of paranoia, anxiety and depressive symptoms | BMJ Mental Health, UK

The impact of childhood trauma and cannabis use on paranoia: a structural equation model approach

Childhood trauma is a well-established risk factor for psychosis, paranoia, and substance use, with cannabis being a modifiable environmental factor that exacerbates these vulnerabilities. This study examines the interplay between childhood trauma, cannabis use, and paranoia using standard tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) units as a comprehensive measure of cannabis exposure | Cambridge Core, UK

Changing lives through the Blue Light Approach

An independent evaluation of the Blue Light Approach in action in Buckinghamshire has recently been released, revealing its hugely positive impact in helping people turn their lives around | Alcohol Change UK, UK

Coroner urges ketamine review after woman's death

A coroner has urged the government to reconsider the dangers of ketamine after a woman died from the effects of a 10-year habit. Gemma Weeks, 28, used up to £500 of ketamine a week, Dorset coroner Brendan Allen said. She was found dead at her Dorset home in January from toxicity and bladder damage caused by the Class B drug, an inquest concluded | BBC, UK

Woman fundraising for school alcohol lessons

A mother wants to raise money to offer free classes in schools about the dangers of alcohol addiction. Jane McKenzie's 37-year-old daughter Amy died after many years of addiction and she wants children to learn lessons from her mistakes | BBC, UK

Caregiver alcohol use and child maltreatment with June Leung - podcast

In this episode, Dr Zoe Swithenbank speaks to Dr June Leung, a senior researcher at the SHORE and Whariki Research Centre at Massey University in New Zealand. The interview covers June’s systematic review and meta-analysis on the association of parental or caregiver alcohol use with child maltreatment | SSA, UK

How a rehab centre is tackling alcohol and drug deaths by supporting rough sleepers most at risk - video

A man tells recovery workers he needs medical help and a former addict opens up about being set on fire while sleeping in the streets | ITV, UK

Via Harrow marks over a year of sustained hep C micro-elimination

We’re thrilled to announce that Via Harrow has successfully sustained its hepatitis C micro-elimination status for over one year. This marks an incredible milestone, as Harrow is the first Via service to achieve and sustain this status | DDN, UK

Drug and alcohol hospital bid for former blind veteran's base in Llandudno

Adferiad Recovery has confirmed plans to buy the old Lady Forester's building in Craig-y-Don | NorthWales Live, UK

Has the Green Party become the best chance for cannabis reform in the UK?

The Green Party now has a bold and ambitious leader in place who isn’t afraid to shake the status quo – with Zack Polanski, the pro-cannabis party is already grabbing media attention. Could a noisy new Greens amplify the message around legalisation? | Leafie, UK

Drugs: Crime

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of harm reduction policies on levels of drug-related crime | They work for you, UK

Cannabis plants worth £1m found in ex-nightclub

Police used a warrant to search the premises in Mill Street in the centre of Bedford shortly after 10:00 BST on Tuesday, where officers discovered thousands of plants across several floors, including on an additional self-built level | BBC, UK

Three jailed for running cannabis factory in old shopping centre

Elton Skenderi, 30, Gjovalin Toma, 31, and Eduard Daja, 39, pleaded guilty after police seized thousands of plants at the former Forum in September 2024 | BBC, UK

International news

'Ketamine Queen' pleads guilty in Matthew Perry overdose case

Jasveen Sangha, 42, pleaded guilty to five charges in Los Angeles on Wednesday, including one count of distributing ketamine resulting in death or bodily injury | BBC, UK

US strike on 'Venezuela drug boat': What do we know, and was it legal?

A strike carried out by US forces on a boat in the Caribbean Sea - which the White House says killed 11 drug traffickers - may have violated international human rights and maritime law, legal experts have told BBC Verify | BBC, UK

Polysubstance use in early adulthood and associated factors in the Republic of Ireland: An analysis of a nationally representative cohort

[Open access] Alcohol and other drug use is common in early adulthood; however, research on contemporary polysubstance use patterns—defined as use of multiple psychoactive substances—and their associated factors is limited. This study aimed to identify groups with differing polysubstance use patterns and to examine associations with individual, family and socio-environmental factors | Addiction, UK

[Open access] Raising retail prices on alcoholic beverages preferred by high-risk groups (males, those of low socioeconomic status, and those with heavy alcohol use) might selectively reduce their alcohol consumption. However, the differential impact of beverage-specific price increases on US population groups has yet to be studied. This study aimed to simulate the effect of beverage-specific price increases on alcohol use within subgroups of the adult US population defined by sex, educational attainment, and alcohol use category | Lancet Public Health, UK

Chronic benzodiazepine consumption impacts sleep quality in older adults, new research shows

A new study led by Concordia researchers published in the journal SLEEPJ shows that use of benzodiazepine and benzodiazepine receptor agonists (BZRA) can affect brain rhythms during sleep that are important for memory and cognitive health in adults aged between 55 and 80 | Medical Xpress, USA

State bans on flavored e-cigarettes could inadvertently increase traditional cigarette use among young adults

A study in Health Economics reveals that comprehensive state bans on flavored e-cigarettes may reduce vaping among young adults, but they can also lead to increased use of traditional cigarettes | Medical Xpress, USA

Delta-8 THC Use Highest Where Marijuana Is Illegal, Study Finds

UC San Diego researchers report that more than 19 million U.S. adults have tried delta-8 THC | UCSD, USA

[Open access] Street sweeps, involving the state-enforced removal of makeshift residences and confiscation of personal belongings from people in public spaces, are a common tool employed by urban governments to address public health and safety concerns. Amidst the ongoing housing and toxic drug poisoning crises in Vancouver, Canada, we sought to characterize experiences of confiscation of personal belongings by city workers among unstably-housed people who use drugs people who use drugs | Public Health, USA

117 Western Australia vape sellers close up shop, but convenience stores still break the rules

New research shows that dedicated vape retail stores in Western Australia (WA) have become extinct since new national federal vaping legislation was introduced last year. But with researchers identifying that many convenience stores continue to break the rules, experts say ongoing monitoring and stricter enforcement is needed | Medical Xpress, USA

NDARC Webinar: Engaging with OAT in NSW: A mixed-methods exploration of treatment access and retention - video

Opioid agonist treatment (OAT) is a key evidence-based response to opioid dependence, yet challenges around access and retention persist. This webinar presents insights from a mixed-methods study conducted in NSW exploring how people engage with OAT and what shapes their treatment journeys. Drawing on survey data and lived experience narratives, the presentation examines how individuals navigate entry into treatment, experiences within services, and the factors that may influence ongoing engagement or early dropout | NDARC, Australia

Blogs, comment and opinion

The Guardian view on new ideas in social work: pioneers are breaking down silos and focusing on relationships

Vulnerable users of local services are being helped by innovations that have nothing to do with AI | Guardian, UK

Removing arbitrary limitations on buprenorphine for opioid use disorder

Buprenorphine, a partial opioid agonist, has long been a cornerstone of opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment; however, legacy recommendations from an era preceding fentanyl's dominance in the opioid crisis have resulted in restrictive United States state and insurance policies that retain arbitrary dosage limits. The realities of the overdose epidemic demand that these arbitrary dosage limits be lifted | SSA, UK

From bank robber to scholar: the Knoxville dropout fighting to change how we see addiction

Kirsten Smith was 19 when she first tried heroin; within a few years she was in prison. She says she willingly made bad choices and wants society to stop treating addiction as a disease | Guardian, UK

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