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Daily news - 16th September 2025

UK news

Thousands of opioid deaths missed off official figures

More than 13,000 heroin and opioid deaths have been missed off official statistics in England and Wales, raising concerns about the impact on the government's approach to tackling addiction | BBC, UK

Mobile drug consumption units could be introduced in Scotland

A report into Glasgow drug consumption facility The Thistle - which opened for a three-year pilot at the start of 2025 - raised the possibility of additional alternative models being considered. The document by the Scottish Affairs Committee found smaller mobile facilities - like those used in Portugal and the Netherlands - could be more cost-effective, while reaching a greater number of drug users | BBC, UK

Cocaine drug alert issued in Glasgow after people taking ill

Three incidents, in the city centre and West End have been reported, which are understood to be drug-related | Glasgow Times, UK

Children exploited by drug dealers, report says

Escalating concerns over children being exploited by drug dealing operations in an inner city neighbourhood has led to authorities stepping up their response | BBC, UK

In 2017 England lifted severity-of-illness restrictions on obtaining new medications which have made treatment of hepatitis C infection more effective and less onerous. Subsequently, “[hepatitis C] treatment uptake … increased more than two-fold” among injectors,. Needle exchanges and opioid prescribing clinics seemed “important” referral routes | IJDP, UK

“Substantial reductions in chronic [hepatitis C infection]” accompanied increased uptake of new medications which make treatment of hepatitis C infection more effective and less onerous. The conclusion is that such treatment does not just help the patients, but also prevents spread of infection | IJDP, UK

Statistics on smoking cessation services in Northern Ireland 2024/25

Information on smoking cessation services between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025 on clients who set a quit date and the outcome at 4 weeks |
Department of Health (Northern Ireland) and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, UK

Charity secures funding for creative projects

A Wolverhampton homelessness charity has secured funding to start a series of creative projects for those in recovery from addiction and their families | BBC, UK

8 inspiring pictures from Wolverhampton's Recovery Walk celebrating triumph over addictions

Rain showers failed to dampen spirits as Wolverhampton played host to the Recovery Walk UK - an event celebrating people who have experienced addiction and turned over a new leaf | Express and Star, UK

Recovery Games celebrate Doncaster people recovering from drug and drink addictions

The Recovery Games, now into its 12th year brings together people, families and communities to celebrate the success and strength of those who are beating addiction, while raising awareness that recovery is possible with the right support | Doncaster Free Press, UK

Norwich drugs charity marks Recovery Month

Christian drugs, alcohol, and mental health issues charity, The Matthew Project, will mark Recovery Month in late September with a series of hope-filled community events | Network Norwich, UK

The missing policies in the UK’s 10-Year Health Plan - podcast

This month’s episode of the Alcohol Alert Podcast is a special cross-post from The Alcohol Debate Podcast, hosted by alcohol-freedom coach Tabbin Almond. In this episode, Tabbin is joined by Jem Roberts, Head of External Affairs at the Institute of Alcohol Studies, for a wide-ranging discussion on alcohol policy in the UK and Ireland. From Ireland’s world-first alcohol labelling law and its recent delays, to the UK Government’s 10-Year Health Plan and the omission of minimum unit pricing, Jem explains how political choices – and industry lobbying – shape the nation’s response to alcohol harm. “Pricing policies have a really quick effect on saving lives | IAS, UK

International news

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

The stigma of alcohol dependence with Prof. Georg Schomerus - podcast

In this episode I talk to Prof. Georg Schomerus, Professor and Chair at the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Leipzig. Prof Schomerus is a leading academic in the field of stigma towards alcohol and mental health problems. We discuss the nature of stigma towards alcohol problems, what drives stigma, how it relates to social behaviours and wider world events, and what can be done to challenge stigma | Alcohol Problem Podcast, UK

Alleged cocaine-smuggling kingpin said to have earned €230m goes on trial

Heavy security as Flor Bressers, 39, appears in Brussels court where 30 suspected accomplices will also be tried | Guardian, UK

US destroys alleged Venezuelan drug boat, killing three

President Donald Trump says the US military has destroyed an alleged Venezuelan drug vessel travelling in international waters on the way to the US | BBC, UK

Amid rising violence in Colombia, girls and women are being held as sex slaves: ‘No woman is safe’

The Catatumbo region, home to huge coca fields, has been ravaged by a fight for control between two armed groups | Guardian, UK

Belgium banning smoking and vaping on terraces from January 2027

Belgium will ban smoking and vaping on public terraces and scrap smoking rooms in bars, airports, and shisha lounges from January 1, 2027, after the federal government approved the measure on September 12 | Euronews, Belgium

[Open access] The record of acupuncture in alleviating alcohol dependence and withdrawal and how that record might be improved by siting at different acupuncture points, modern equipment, and combining with other therapies | General Hospital Psychiatry, USA

Over-the-counter sales of overdose reversal drug naloxone decline after initial surge

Over-the-counter sales of naloxone peaked during the first month of availability in September 2023, then declined rapidly before stabilizing until August 2024, when there was a small increase, according to the study published in JAMA Internal Medicine. The drug can prevent death among people who have overdosed on fentanyl or other opioids | Medical Xpress, USA

Alcohol lobbying in Canada: a quantitative analysis of the federal registry of lobbyists

[Open access] Although alcohol is a leading cause of health and social harms in Canada, policies directed at alleviating the public health burden created by alcohol are rarely adopted and often reversed. This study analyses alcohol-related policy lobbying activity to better understand how lobbying might impact policy development in Canada | Health Promotion International, USA

Stigma From Medical Providers Contributed to My Son’s Overdose

This year’s hit medical TV drama, The Pitt, is a worthy successor to those previous fan favorites, ER and Grey’s Anatomy. From its first dramatic moments, we experience a chaotic 15-hour shift in a Pittsburgh emergency room | Filter Magazine, USA

Blogs, comment and opinion

Get tough on tobacco and alcohol firms to improve public health

Hazel Cheeseman, Prof Sir Ian Gilmore and Katharine Jenner call for minimum unit pricing, a levy on profits and policies to improve food and drink | Guardian letters, UK

Opinion: Brussels must learn, disinformation is still disinformation when it’s politically convenient

On Wednesday, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, told Members of the European Parliament of how “appalled” she had become by the “disinformation that threatens global progress on everything from measles to polio” | Clearing the air opinion, UK

Harm-reduction vending machines offer free naloxone, pregnancy tests and hygiene kits

In the lobby of the YMCA in Reading, Pennsylvania, stands a row of vending machines – but one machine is different from the rest. Instead of stocking chips or soda, this vending machine has drug-testing strips, hygiene kits, socks, soap, wound care supplies and naloxone, a medication also known by its brand name Narcan that is used to reverse opioid overdoses – all completely free | Conversation, USA

Narcan as a weapon of punishment

It's cruel to force users into withdrawal, but police once did it all the time | Ben Westhoff, USA

What correctional officers think about harm-reduction services for incarcerated people with drug addictions

Opioids, including the best known — morphine, heroin and fentanyl — have been gaining popularity over the last few decades. Although officially banned, these painkillers still find their way into prisons either via drones or with visitors. The result is that more and more prisoners are using opioids | Conversation, Canada

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