Home | Archive | Weekly | Reports

Daily news - 13th April 2026

UK news

Poverty, Prevention and Fairness: Public attitudes towards health inequality and the social determinants of health in the Scottish Social Attitudes Survey (PDF)

The Scottish Social Attitudes Survey asked: Which of the following, if any, do you think would be the most effective way of reducing deaths in Scotland from drugs and alcohol? The resulting data suggests people in Scotland see poverty reduction as the most effective way of reducing deaths from drugs and alcohol, followed by an increase in mental health service spending | Scottish Health Equity Research Unit, UK

Implementation fidelity matters: insights from a realist evaluation of police drug diversion schemes in England

[Open access] Responding to calls for greater use of implementation science to improve innovations in policing, this article draws on the qualitative phase of a realist, quasi-experimental evaluation to examine implementation fidelity of police drug diversion (PDD) schemes in three police forces across England | Policing and Society, UK

London nightlife crisis sees iconic clubs close as costs soar and drinking habits change

Simply offering after-hours alcohol to younger generations no longer appeals as partygoers are now seeking immersive experiences | Independent, UK

Retrospective plans for Ayrshire rehab centre approved

Enhance Healthcare had brought forward two proposals for Townend House in Symington, which have caused controversy amongst the local community | Ayr Advertiser, UK

Drug Education Forum Event – Summer 2026

Thursday 21 May, 15:30 - 17 GMT+1. This event will provide an opportunity for drug education providers, practitioners and policy makers to come together with a focus on the provision of excellent, evidence-based, age-appropriate drug education and harm reduction for young people. The keynote speaker is Will Lawn, senior lecturer in psychology at King’s College London who will be sharing his experiences in delivering assemblies about cannabis to teenagers in schools, and his insights into what makes drug education work for this age group. Also appearing will be Agnes Wootton, head of We Are With You’s services for young people in the South region | DEF, UK

Chocolate theft surge tied to illegal cigarette trade, retailers say

Chocolate stolen from shops is being resold alongside illegal cigarettes and vapes in pop-up shops and mini-marts on British high streets, retailers have said | BBC, UK

Police shut 400 drug lines as 89 dealers jailed

More than 400 drug lines have been closed across the West Midlands, with the dealers behind them jailed for a total of 45 years | BBC, UK

Spanish police 'dismantle' Scottish drugs gang as crime boss arrested

Police in Spain say they have "dismantled" a criminal drugs gang led by members of the Lyons family | BBC, UK

International news

‘I didn’t want to be on medication the rest of my life’: veteran runs psilocybin retreats for PTSD before FDA approval

Researchers say ‘magic mushrooms’ can help with traumatic symptoms, but urge caution as states expand access | Guardian, UK

US appeals court declares 158-year-old home distilling ban unconstitutional

Judge said ban, which originated in Reconstruction era to thwart liquor tax evasion, actually reduced tax revenue | Guardian, UK

“Kratom is our lifeblood”: When Drug Policies Ignore Indigenous Livelihoods

Known scientifically as “Mitragyna speciosa Korth”, the kratom plant grows wild in Kalimantan, Indonesia. Native to Southeast Asia, this psychoactive plant has been used as a both stimulant and a sedative in traditional medicine for generations, with effects such as mood elevation and pain relief | Talking Drugs, UK

Doctors advised to avoid prescribing opioids for long-term pain due to lack of evidence

Doctors have been urged to avoid prescribing opioids for long-term pain by a GP specialist in addiction services who said there is little to no evidence it helps patients | Irish Examiner, Ireland

Developing a Counselling and Psychotherapy Competency Framework for Addictions: A Systematic Review

Summarises the literature review which underpinned the Addictions Competence Framework developed by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. The aim was to identify the key knowledge and skills associated with effective addictions counselling for adults | Counselling & Psychotherapy Research, USA

Lab study shows cigarette smoke damaged lung cells more than e-cigarette vapor

A new laboratory study found that cigarette smoke sharply disrupted lung cell defenses, while e-cigarette vapor showed no significant damage in the same model, highlighting important differences but not settling the question of long-term safety in humans | News Medical, USA

Drug overdose deaths drop sharply in the U.S. even as new street drugs emerge - audio

Drug overdose deaths continue to drop in the U.S., but experts say new street drugs made from synthetic chemicals are emerging rapidly | npr, USA

Bladder toxicity risk appears low for psychiatric ketamine patients, though data is limited

A new review of clinical studies suggests that people receiving ketamine for mental health conditions do not face an elevated risk of severe bladder and urinary tract issues, at least in the short term. Researchers noted that while these symptoms are common among recreational users, medically supervised doses appear much safer. The findings were published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology | PsyPost, USA

State Bills to Regulate Kratom Advance, Alongside Ones to Ban It

Nine months after Rhode Island passed a law regulating the sale of kratom, the partial opioid agonist that has divided legislators across the country about how to respond to “gas station drugs,” those regulations are now in effect | Filter Magazine, USA

Canadian Drug Policy Must Actively Uphold the Right to Life: UN Report

Canada has obligations to implement measures that actively protect the right to life, regardless of what the government thinks, asserts a new report from the United Nations Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) | Filter Magazine, USA

[Open access] This qualitative study employed a narrative-based ethnographic approach, drawing on in-depth semi-structured interviews with 20 gay men living in four major Chinese cities. Interviews explored participants’ experiences of poppers use, interpretations of legality, engagements with public health discourse, and encounters with stigma | IJDP, USA

Blogs, comment and opinion

Tobacco is still one of the world’s top killers – here are the key obstacles to enacting generational smoking bans

The number of smokers in the U.S. has declined from 41% in 1944 to 11% in 2024. However, over 25 million Americans still smoke | Conversation, USA

Extend Studio