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Daily news - 6th January 2026 |
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UK news
Pouches safer than smoking but nicotine levels a concern, says government
The government has agreed nicotine pouches are both safer than cigarettes and an effective harm reduction tool, in a correspondence with 20isPlenty campaigners, but warned of their high nicotine content | Talking Retail, UK
Google AI Overviews put people at risk of harm with misleading health advice
Exclusive: Inaccurate information presented in summaries, Guardian investigation finds | Guardian, UK
Drinkers planning a Dry January are begged to reconsider as figures show pubs closing every day
Industry leaders say the Chancellor's November Budget has piled pressure on the sector, with higher business rates and another rise in the minimum wage | Mail Online, UK
Annual Report 2025. Join Us for Our Annual General Meeting
We’re pleased to share our Annual Report for 2025, which sets out the work, impact and direction of Faces & Voices of Recovery UK over the past year | FAVOR UK, UK
Colleagues recognised in New Year Honours List 2025
Professor Ann McNeill, Professor of Tobacco Addiction in the Department of Addictions, has been awarded a CBE for Services to Addiction and Mental Health | KCL, UK
Mum who dealt drugs with sons 'should know better'
Dawn Ellison, 46, and her son Byron Sheffield, 23, both from Bradford, were handed suspended sentences at the city's crown court earlier, having been convicted by a jury following a trial in September | BBC, UK
International news
Nicolás Maduro pleads not guilty to drugs charges
The ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores have pleaded not guilty to charges of drug trafficking and terrorism before a court in New York. We hear from our correspondent outside the court, and our correspondents in Colombia and Brussels explain what the international reaction has been to the developments | BBC, UK
Our words matter: Advancing inclusive language and a human rights-based approach to criminal justice at the United Nations
9 January 2026 3:30–4:30 pm (CEST). This seminar will provide Member States, UN stakeholders, and civil society with the opportunity to learn about the findings and recommendations of the new report A Call for Inclusive Language: Advancing a Human Rights-Based Approach to Criminal Justice at the United Nations | IDPC, UK
One in five vape shops selling addictive products to children, inspections reveal
Proposed law to ban disposable vapes should go further, says Fianna Fáíl TD | Irish Times, Ireland
EU Drugs Agency welcomes its new Executive Director, Dr Lorraine Nolan
This week, the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) welcomes its new Executive Director Dr Lorraine Nolan (Ireland), as she begins a five-year term leading the agency. Dr Nolan was elected to the position by the EUDA Management Board in June 2025, following a competitive public recruitment process launched in September 2024 | EUDA, Portugal
Psychedelics Can Provide Spiritual Validation to LGBTQI People – Interview with Jae Sevelius, PhD
[Open access] Psychedelic therapy can offer spiritual validation and gender euphoria for trans and non-binary people — Jae Sevelius explains what truly affirming psychedelic care means in practice | Drug Reporter, Hungary
US drug policy does not align with experts’ rankings of drug harms: a multi-criteria decision analysis
[Open access] Based on a process first conducted in the UK, US experts convened to rank substances according to their degree of harm. The result bore little relation to how the same substances were classified in US law | Harm Reduction Journal, USA
Supervised exercise as adjunctive treatment for substance use disorder: Systematic review and meta-analysis
Five of the eight randomised trials identified for this review were conducted in China or India and the same number involved yoga. Across all eight studies exercise generated significant mental and physical health improvements but not substance use reductions | Medicine, USA
Can Nicotine Pouches Help People Quit Smoking?
When e-cigarettes first hit the market, many public health experts hoped they would encourage people who smoke to move away from traditional cigarettes and toward a less harmful nicotine alternative. Although the switch proved successful for some, dangerous marketing tactics paved the way for a youth vaping crisis. A new initiative by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may now be placing its harm reduction bet on a different product: nicotine pouches | JAMA Network Open, USA
Barriers to Buprenorphine Initiation in Patients Using Fentanyl
In this survey study, the majority of 396 clinicians surveyed (72.0%) reported encountering problems initiating buprenorphine treatment among patients using fentanyl in the past year, and 67.3% reported modifying their standard induction protocols. These findings suggest that clinicians across the US are experiencing challenges initiating buprenorphine treatment, and many may be changing their clinical practices to circumvent these problems | JAMA Network Open, USA
Smoking-reduction strategies could ease loneliness and social isolation
Health behavior experts have a question: If loneliness results in the same risk of dying early as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day, could the strategies that greatly reduced smoking in the United States a half century ago also potentially ease the loneliness epidemic today? | Medical Xpress, USA
University seeks veterans to participate in cannabis treatment study
Wayne State University is seeking veterans with post traumatic stress disorder to participate in a study testing the impacts of cannabis use to treat the disorder | Medical Xpress, USA
Fentanyl, Involved in My Son’s Death, Is No “Weapon of Mass Destruction”
In December, the federal government announced it would classify illicit fentanyl as a “weapon of mass destruction.” Having buried my son after his fentanyl-involved overdose, I understand the desperation that might cause people to support such a declaration. When your child dies, you want the country to finally treat the crisis with the gravity it deserves. But my son’s struggle taught me that extreme, punitive measures will lead us further away from what would have saved him and countless others | Filter Magazine, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
The rise and fall of Babycham – the sparkling pear drink that sold the champagne lifestyle at a small price
As a cultural historian who has worked with and lectured on the drinks industry for many years I was asked to write a book about post-war Britain and the drinks that made it. I immediately knew I had to include Babycham – a post-austerity tipple that had made Britain smile | Conversation, UK
Fragmented nicotine laws leave Europe's youth vulnerable despite policy aims
With the recently released Safe Hearts Plan, the European Commission has signalled the need to protect young people from the harms of nicotine use. This is also one important objective with the upcoming revision of the Tobacco Products Directive. By harnessing the potential of well-regulated domestic online sales, the Commission can create a powerful safeguard against sales to minors. However, for this model to succeed, it necessitates a ban on cross-border online sales of nicotine products | Brussels Times, Belgium