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Daily news - 26th February 2026 |
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UK news
Government edges closer to landmark generational smoking ban despite Tory challenge
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will prevent anyone born on or after January 1 2009 from smoking legally | Independent, UK [Hansard report of the parliamentary debate here]
750,000 UK vapers could return to smoking if flavours restricted, data shows
Elfbar published the most recent findings from its UK vaping study following a significant year for the industry | Talking Retail, UK
Daily drinks diary - Your guide and record to success
This diary helps people who are cutting down their drinking to focus on what they are trying to achieve. The diary runs over seven weeks. This means it will let people see if their drinking follows any patterns. They can then think of ways to break these habits. People can also note what their mood was like before they started drinking. They can then see what any consequences of their drinking were | Public Health Scotland, UK
Smoking and drinking among the Gypsy and Traveller communities: A population study in England
[Open access] Gypsy and Traveller communities in the United Kingdom (UK) face substantial health challenges. Smoking tobacco and drinking alcohol likely contribute to health disparities, but there is little national data on the prevalence or heaviness of smoking and drinking among these communities. We aimed to estimate the prevalence and heaviness of smoking and drinking among the UK Gypsy and Traveller communities compared with people from other UK ethnic groups | Addiction, UK
Alcohol: Minimum Unit Pricing
Over the past decade, the number of alcohol related deaths has risen by more than 80%, and, in our most deprived communities, the rate is nearly four times higher than in our most-affluent areas. Yet, despite overwhelming national and international evidence, despite clear modelling for Northern Ireland and despite support from clinicians and addiction specialists, the Health Minister is being blocked from even introducing legislation on minimum unit pricing (MUP) for alcohol to be debated in the House | They work for you, UK
CHRNB3: People Carrying Rare Variants Of This Gene Are Far Less Likely To Be Heavy Smokers
Genes underpinning how the brain responds to nicotine could be a promising new target for drugs to help people quit smoking | IFLScience, UK
Drug kits handed out to prevent overdoses
Drug overdose prevention kits are being given out in North East Lincolnshire. They contain Naloxone, a first aid medication that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, the council said. It comes after four people died and others were injured in a recent spate of suspected drug overdoses in Grimsby | BBC, UK
New library opens at Chy residential rehab
We’re excited to announce we’ve partnered with Book Relief UK to launch a new book lending library in Cornwall’s residential rehabilitation centre, Chy | WithYou, UK
Surviving earth | official trailer | in cinemas april 24th
Based on a true story, Surviving Earth follows Vlad, a Yugoslav refugee and gifted musician who fled to the UK in the 90s. Now rebuilding his life in Bristol, he longs to be the father his daughter Maria deserves, but as difficulties arise, old habits begin to resurface and Vlad risks losing it all. Can he find redemption through love and music, or will the past drag him down once more? | Metis Films, UK
Humanising Healthcare’s Conversation Café: transforming medical education - podcast
On this month’s podcast we spoke to Dr Hugo Jobst, Dr Seonaid Anderson, and Allan Houston from Humanising Healthcare about their Conversation Café programme, which brings medical students together with people who have lived experience of addiction and recovery to change the culture of addiction medicine | IAS, UK
Ketamine Assisted Therapy with Lucy da Silva - video
In this episode, we are joined by Lucy da Silva, recognised as one of the UK’s 100 most inspiring businesswomen. Lucy is the co-founder and CEO of Silva Wellness in London, which provides ketamine lozenge support for individuals who are experiencing a range of challenges | Barod, UK
Bristol Dance Project - Bristol Sober Spaces X Get Weird
February 28th, Bristol. This February, Bristol Sober Spaces, Get Weird and Arc are collaborating to bring you a night of world dance music at The Arc. Look forward to some Baile, Afrobeats, Habibi Funk, electro, ghettotech, UK funky, and more | Bristol Sober Spaces, UK
Sober Queers
March 14th, Bristol. Bristol Sober Spaces and Sober Queers are teaming up to host a night of live music, DJs and drag! Featuring our residents Slaggamuffin and Gender Criminal with guest performances from Juju and Kerensa. Dry but not Juiceless | Bristol Sober Spaces, UK
International news
Ayahuasca psychedelic DMT shows promise as depression therapy
Study finds participants saw reduction in depressive symptoms as researchers welcome ‘promising’ results | Guardian, UK
'Fear is everywhere': BBC reports from Mexican city turned into war zone by drug cartel feud
Mexico's president has praised the special forces for "bringing down" the country's most wanted man, drug lord Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes. Oseguera, better known as "El Mencho", died in custody on Sunday, shortly after being captured amid a bloody firefight in Jalisco. But as the BBC's Quentin Sommerville found in another Mexican cartel hotspot – Culiacán in northern Sinaloa state – the vacuum left by the removal of a powerful cartel leader can trigger a surge in violence as warring factions battle for control | BBC, UK
Concerns raised over absence of drug testing for gardaí
A review by the Policing and Community Safety Authority has raised concerns about the absence of substance abuse testing and in-service vetting for serving gardaí | RTe, Ireland
Benzodiazepine use declines across the US, led by reductions in older adults
Benzodiazepine treatment declined among U.S. adults between 2018 and 2022, with the steepest drop among adults ages 56 and older, according to a new study by researchers at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and Columbia University Irving Medical Center | Medical Xpress, USA
Online vs in-person mutual-help groups: Which are better?
Online mutual-help group meetings have become commonplace since the COVID-19 pandemic, raising an important question for people seeking recovery support: do online meetings provide at least the same benefits as attending in person? | Recovery Research Institute, USA
Recovery community center participation associated with holistic improvements
Recovery community centers, also known as peer recovery support centers, are peer-operated spaces offering community and services for people in or seeking recovery. Over the past decade, they have increased in popularity, yet little is known about how such centers impact different outcomes. This study examined this in relation to daily meaning and recovery identity | Recovery Research Institute, USA
Beyond the Panic: A Harm Reduction Lens for Teen Drug Use
Adolescent drug use often triggers moral panics, fear-mongering and the passage of draconian laws to “keep the kids safe” by putting their caregivers in prison. A “troubled-teen” industry preys on parents desperate to help their kids at any cost—subjecting young people whose drug use is deemed problematic to abstinence-only “tough love” and isolating, abusive “boot camps.” | Filter Magazine, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Will new legislation really deliver a 'smokefree generation?
Remaining obstacles may leave a ‘smokefree generation’ as little more than a pipe dream, writes Professor Lisa McNally, director of public health for Worcestershire County Council | Healthcare Management, UK