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Daily news - 9th January 2026 |
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UK news
Improving Information Supplied with Gabapentinoids (Pregabalin/Gabapentin), Benzodiazepines and Z-Drugs
The MHRA has reviewed the warnings regarding addiction, dependence, withdrawal, and tolerance for gabapentin, pregabalin, benzodiazepines, and z-drugs. The findings (detailed in the Public Assessment Report) were that it was necessary to strengthen these warnings in the product information and on packaging to better inform healthcare professionals and patients of these known risks | MHRA, UK
Household Christmas spending on alcohol in sharpest drop since lockdown
The cost of living crisis could be driving shoppers to give alcohol a miss, experts said | Independent, UK
Thousands of offenders in England to get health support at probation meetings
A recent report by the chief medical officer for England, Chris Whitty, found that half of offenders on probation smoked, many had drug or alcohol addiction issues and a majority had poor mental health. NHS clinicians will sit in on appointments in pilot scheme in four areas aimed at reducing reoffending | Guardian, UK
WithYou launches drug and alcohol support service across West Dunbartonshire
People facing drug and alcohol challenges in West Dunbartonshire are to get vital support from WithYou who have pledged "no one should face this alone". The charity launches its drug and alcohol recovery service on 12 January, taking over from DACA and Alternatives, in an area blighted by some of Scotland's highest drug and alcohol death rates | WithYou, UK
Talk TV - Road Safety Strategy - Drink-drive limits - video
IAS's Jem Roberts joined Peter Cardwell's show on 07 January 2025 to discuss government proposals to reduce the drink-drive limit in England and Wales to match Scotland's | IAS, UK
Government to water down business rate rise for pubs
A climbdown on forthcoming increases to the business rates bills faced by pubs in England is set to be announced by the government in the next few days | BBC, UK
Advance your career with a PhD studentship or fellowship
The SSA is offering fully-funded PhD studentships and fellowships through the Addiction Healthcare Goals flagship research leadership programme. Applications close at 17:00 GMT on 15 January 2026 | SSA, UK
Call for Papers - Current Issues in Cannabis Use Disorders: From Science to Society
Submission deadline: 28 February 2026. Cannabis is becoming increasingly decriminalised and accessible globally and its use can lead to serious mental health issues in a proportion of its users, including Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD). CUD is globally one of the most common substance use disorders among youth. However, the scientific evidence base for the mechanisms and issues relating to CUD is in its infancy | SSA, UK
From alcohol-free venues to pubs: the changing city streets
Many of the buildings on high streets up and down the country have their origins in a movement that swept through Victorian England and encouraged people to give up or cut down on alcohol | BBC, UK
Parishes want power to approve alcohol licences [Jersey]
Jersey's constables have opposed plans to give alcohol licensing powers to the gambling commission | BBC, UK
Homeless men refused entry to city centre hotel
Two men were told they could not stay in their pre-booked rooms at a city centre hotel after being identified as homeless on a night when temperatures had plunged to -6 degrees | BBC, UK
Revealed: the crypto entrepreneur linked to illegal weight-loss drug operation
Exclusive: Haul of illicit products led by medicines regulator was described as world’s largest of its kind, but no arrests have yet been made | Guardian, UK
International news
National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975–2025: Overview and key findings for secondary school students (PDF)
Monitoring the Future (MTF) is designed to provide scientifically reliable information on trends, drivers, and consequences of substance use among U.S. youth and adults. The 2025 survey, reported here, is the 51st consecutive national survey of 12th grade students and the 35th national survey of 8th and 10th grade students | University of Michigan, USA
Youth Vaping, Smoking and Drinking at Record Lows, Per Latest NIDA Data
The National Institute on Drug Abuse has released the latest Monitoring the Future Survey (MFS), which for over 50 years has provided data on how various regulated and unregulated substances are used and perceived by teenagers. What the 2025 MFS appears to reaffirm is that after rates of youth substance use dropped dramatically at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and then leveled off in 2021, they never crept back up—even as pandemic-era restrictions were gradually lifted. Use of alcohol, cannabis, nicotine vapes and cigarettes has essentially remained at record lows | Filter Magazine, USA
Decrease in drug deaths stems from ‘shock’ to fentanyl supply, new research suggests
New paper uses Reddit, government data to highlight declining fentanyl purity | STAT News, USA
SF to Open “RESET” Sobering Center, Pilot Civil Commitment for Drug Use
On January 7, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie (D) announced imminent plans to open Rapid Enforcement, Support, Evaluation and Triage (RESET), a facility that will receive people arrested for public drug use and hold them for up to 23 hours while staff connect them to treatment. It appears to be the city’s first involuntary sobering center | Filter Magazine, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Feeling guilty after drinking? You’re not alone
Many people recognise the feeling. A night of drinking followed by regret. A sense you drank more than you meant to or that alcohol and a hangover has got in the way of work, relationships, or health goals. As we enter a new year, many of us may be thinking we consumed too much alcohol over the festive season, and new goals of lowering consumption may be motivated, at least in part, by reducing the negative feelings that alcohol causes | IAS blog, UK
Dry January, T-breaks and the myth of willpower: An alternative reset in the New Year
Many Canadians start the new year with attempts to abstain from alcohol and cannabis for the month of January. However, this all-or-nothing approach to a healthier lifestyle may be unsustainable for many due to complex biological and psychosocial drivers that trigger substance use in the first place. Fear not, abstinence isn’t the only option | Conversation, Canada