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Daily news - 17th February 2026 |
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UK news
New technology to help combat drug and alcohol addiction
Innovators across the UK are being offered £20 million in grants for technology designed to reduce harm and death from Drug and alcohol addiction | DHSC, UK
Why are synthetic opioids on the rise?
Bob, whose name we've changed to protect his identity, says his addiction began in 2019 when he was prescribed pain killers for a health condition. He says he then 'manipulated' the health system by exaggerating his pain to get the stronger drugs | ITV, UK
Fourth person dies after suspected drug overdoses
A fourth person has died and several more people have become ill in a spate of suspected drug overdoses in Grimsby, police have said. Over the weekend, the force said it received a further eight reports of people becoming unwell and they were suspected to have overdosed on the same type of drug | BBC, UK
Is there a health risk from secondhand vaping?
The government has announced plans to ban vaping in cars carrying children in a bid to extend smoke-free places. People will also be prevented from smoking, vaping, or using devices that heat tobacco in children’s playgrounds and outside of schools, according to the plans set out on Friday. The Department of Health said the move would protect children and vulnerable people, including those harmed by breathing in secondhand smoke. So, is there an impact of secondhand vaping? ITV News explains | ITV, UK
Single dose of potent psychedelic drug could help treat depression, trial shows
Researchers find DMT – used in shamanic rituals – in tandem with psychotherapy has significant effect | Guardian, UK
Worcester ex-addict's recovery story reaches millions
A Worcester man’s candid recovery story has gone viral, drawing in over 10 million viewers and turning the addiction he had once accepted would kill him into global inspiration | Worcester News, UK
Health grant of £1.8m misused by council
The grant from the Department of Health and Social Care was supposed to be spent on improving public health, such as stop smoking schemes. But the east London council discovered that a number of its departments had used the money for other purposes | BBC, UK
Brewdog staff 'upset and concerned' by sale plans
Brewdog employees are "really concerned" for their futures having learned the craft beer giant could be sold off, a union has said | BBC, UK
International news
Sunny European city bans alcohol at night because of drunken tourists
The new measure, proposed by Mayor Tomislav Šuta, will restrict some late-night alcohol sales in problematic parts of the city from 8pm to 6am starting this summer | Mirror, UK
Breaking barriers: evaluating access models for harm reduction vending machines
Clear lessons of the usage of a machine in California: don’t hamstring it by requiring users to register or setting limits on the number of safer-injecting or overdose-prevention kits each can obtain. Similar lessons were learned long ago by staffed needle exchange services | IJDP, USA
Spiritual interventions and self-stigma in the family of person who use drugs: a clinical trial study
Self-stigma in person who use drugs (PWUDs) and their families can create many difficulties for those struggling with drug use, impacting family support during treatment and rehabilitation. Therefore, interventions to manage or lessen this social issue within these families appear essential. This study assess the impact of spiritually interventions based Salim’s heart model on self-stigma in family members of PWUDs | Nature, USA
Study finds fewer overdose deaths among needle and syringe program participants
A recently published study from Karolinska Institutet shows that mortality among people who inject drugs enrolled in the Stockholm needle and syringe program declined over a 10-year period, with a marked reduction in opioid overdose deaths. The study is published in the Harm Reduction Journal, and the findings coincide with a period of expanded harm reduction interventions, including the implementation of a take-home Naloxone program | Medical Xpress, USA
Study calls for tougher laws to protect children from alcohol advertising
University of Waikato researchers are calling for stronger Government-led laws to protect children from alcohol advertising, warning current self-regulation is failing to prevent harm | University of Waikato, New Zealand
Blogs, comment and opinion
SHAAP calls for alcohol marketing restrictions in online safety plans
Commenting on the UK government’s plans to protect children online, SHAAP (Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems) are calling on the government to seize this opportunity to address the harmful exposure to alcohol marketing experienced every day by young people | SHAAP, UK
No reason for Executive to delay on minimum alcohol pricing - The Irish News view
Despite having the highest rate of deaths of the four UK regions, Northern Ireland has failed to follow the example of Scotland, Wales and the Republic in clamping down on cheap booze | Irish News, Ireland