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Daily news - 27th February 2026 |
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UK news
£1 million for drug support projects in Scotland
28 project across Scotland are to share £1 million to support those dealing with substance use. The funding comes from the Scottish Government's five-year National Drug Mission Funds, administered by the Corra Foundation | Health Business, UK
Advancing innovation in drug and alcohol addiction healthcare - funding opportunity
Organisations can apply for a share of £20 million across two competitions. Projects will advance development of pharmaceutical, digital and medtech tools to improve treatment recovery and prevention of harm and deaths from drug and alcohol addictions | UKRI, UK
Criminal Justice Committee Inquiry into Substance Misuse in Prisons
Alcohol is the forgotten crisis for those in the justice system – 63% of people in prison have alcohol use disorder and 40% of prisoners were drunk at the time of their offence with 41% who would accept help if offered. Yet the treatment gap is massive: only 167 individuals (roughly 1.1% of the prison population) were referred to specialist alcohol services in 2024-25 | SHAAP, UK
Can smoking be kicked out of grassroots football?
A football association is hoping to kick smoking and vaping out of football by discouraging parents and supporters from puffing on the sidelines at grassroots matches | BBC, UK
Colwyn Bay mum, 37, who beat heroin says she feels ‘stigma’
Lucy Tomlinson, 37, has been clean from heroin for four years after being addicted to it for the previous decade-and-a-half. But during Ms Tomlinson’s attempts to receive support for her mental health, and to obtain a neurodiversity assessment, she said she has often felt “treated as less than human by those meant to care for me” | North Wales Pioneer, UK
The Loop - Drug Checking Service
Saturday, 31st January, 12-7pm at Bristol Drugs Project, 11 Brunswick Square, BS2 8PE. On Saturday we are back in Bristol City Centre with our drug checking service | BDP, UK
Give to Gain: When women are heard, everyone benefits
Wednesday 11 March, 12:00 pm - 1:15 pm. Online Webinar. How women are shaping our residential detox and rehab services and what this means for the future | Collective Voice, UK
International news
Realist review of managed alcohol programmes for people experiencing alcohol dependence and homelessness: what works, for whom, and in what circumstances?
Investigates what research tells us about when offering homeless drinkers a safe place to drink set amounts of alcohol has beneficial effects: primarily when an otherwise abstinence-oriented support system fails to reduce harm amongst this vulnerable population | Harm Reduction Journal, UK
Availability of nitazenes via cryptomarkets and surface web shops: An observational study
The aims of this study were to identify: (i) availability of nitazenes for purchase on international cryptomarkets and surface web shops, (ii) country of origin and country of destination of advertised products and (iii) types and forms of nitazenes available. We also identified shifts in market characteristics over time where possible | Addiction, UK
British men jailed for smuggling cocaine into Bali
Kial Garth Robinson, 29, of Littlehampton, was sentenced to 11 years in prison, while Piran Ezra Wilkinson, 48, from Chichester, was jailed for nine years | BBC, UK
Former Philippines president Duterte drew up ‘death lists’ during drug war, says ICC prosecutor
On second day of proceedings at ICC, prosecutor Edward Jeremy presents ‘deeply disturbing’ testimony | Independent, UK
Public health advocates say more transparency needed in debate over illicit tobacco as industry links questioned
Former Australian Border Force officer Rohan Pike, who has been quoted extensively as an expert, also advises nicotine-industry-linked organisations | Guardian, UK
Call for timeline on protocol around administration of medicinal cannabis in hospitals
A barrister representing the family of Cork girl Ava Barry has called for a timeline for the introduction of a protocol around the administration of medicinal cannabis which had been recommended at her inquest | Irish Examiner, Ireland
App aids substance use recovery in vulnerable populations
A new study has shown that a mobile app developed by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis is effective at helping this at-risk population take steps toward recovery | Medical Xpress, USA
Can an over-the-counter supplement reduce alcohol use in youth?
Medications for alcohol use disorder are understudied in adolescents and young adults. To address this gap, this study tested whether a safe and affordable over-the-counter supplement that could serve as a “medication” actually reduces drinking in youth with alcohol use disorder | Recovery Research Institute, USA
Mental health care settings remain good venues to engage people with substance use disorders
While substance use disorder and other mental illnesses frequently occur together, people living with both conditions are far more likely to seek help for their mental health than their substance use. This study analyzed national US data to examine the prevalence of mental health treatment seeking among people with substance use disorder | Recovery Research Institute, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Drugs, Crime and Common Sense
For four years I worked in His Majesty’s Prison Service. Most of my time was spent with two groups: vulnerable prisoners, often those convicted of sexual offences who couldn’t safely be located on normal wings, and men struggling with addiction. What I learned there shaped my view on drugs more than any political argument ever could | Liberal Democrat Voice, UK
Is social media addictive? How it keeps you clicking and the harms it can cause
For years, big tech companies have placed the burden of managing screen time squarely on individuals and parents, operating on the assumption that capturing human attention is fair game | Conversation, UK
From psychedelic trips to treating Treatment-Resistant Depression. The possible gamechanger COMP360
Psychiatric medicine is undergoing a seismic shift as Compass pathways announce successful results from its Phase 3 trial(COMP006) | Drug Science, UK
WA’s New Illicit Tobacco & Vape Laws: Tougher Isn’t Better…
Western Australia has recently moved to introduce some of the harshest penalties in the country for illicit tobacco and vaping offences. This blog explores this concerning development from a harm reduction perspective and why residents of WA, and frankly all Australians, should be concerned about the increasing creep of the criminal law into people’s lives… | Harm Reduction Australia, Australia