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Daily news - 13th January 2026

UK news

Safe spaces needed for drug-addicted children, say grieving mums

Three women whose teenage sons died after becoming addicted to drugs have told the BBC the system failed their children. Anita Morris, Nicola Howarth and Kate Roux spoke to the BBC as part of a wide-ranging investigation into the failings of drug treatment for young people. It found significant disparities in community care and a lack of state-funded residential facilities for under-18s. National Drug Treatment Monitoring System data shows a 13% rise in under-18s seeking support in 2024-25, yet experts and families say many are not receiving the help needed | BBC, UK

Drugs awareness warning after sons' deaths

Two mothers who each lost a son from taking drugs are calling for greater awareness of the danger of illegal substances to children. Nicci Parish, from Worthing, West Sussex, and Michelle Fraser, from Deal, Kent, have spoken out to prevent other families losing loved ones | BBC, UK

Estimating thresholds for risk of cannabis use disorder using standard delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) units

[Open access] Lower risk guidelines for safer levels of cannabis use could help to reduce the health burden posed by cannabis use disorder (CUD). We aimed to estimate risk thresholds for CUD based on delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) consumption using standard THC units (1 unit=5 mg THC) | Addiction [See expert reaction in blogs section below]

Influencer Squibb shames Co-op into vape ad takedown

Squibb took to LinkedIn after seeing a two for £10 promotion on Lost Mary vape devices displayed alongside a PoS card reader in a Co-op store | Grocer, UK

Painkillers prescribed to 4.5 million Britons slapped with addiction warning by health chiefs after drugs safety review

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) ordered the move after a safety review flagged risks linked to gabapentinoid painkillers, benzodiazepine tranquillisers and Z-drugs used for sleep | Mail Online, UK

Concerns over jail where drugs 'readily available'

Concerns about a jail where drugs were a "significant issue" and residential units were in poor condition must be addressed urgently, HM Inspectorate of Prisons said | BBC, UK

‘Dangerous and alarming’: Google removes some of its AI summaries after users’ health put at risk

Exclusive: Guardian investigation finds AI Overviews provided inaccurate and false information when queried over blood tests | Guardian, UK

Amendment to alcohol licence power is 'terrifying' [Jersey]

An amendment to plans giving constables the right to decide on alcohol licences for pubs and clubs is "terrifying", a hospitality chief has said | BBC, UK

 

International news

Perspectives of mothers and fathers affected by addiction of an adolescent/adult child – results from a mixed-method study

[Open access] Mothers tended more towards stressful coping strategies such as taking responsibility and tabooing the addiction, whereas fathers were more able to distance themselves from the addiction problem. For mothers, feelings of guilt and shame were a major barrier to seeking help; for fathers, the lack of admission of their own helplessness played a significant role. Both groups expressed the wish for extended support, better access to the help system, intensified media awareness, and advertisement of easy-to-access emergency help | Archives of Public Health, UK

Spanish police seize 10 tonnes of cocaine hidden in ship off Canary Islands

Haul represents country’s largest seizure at sea, with officers digging bales out from vast amount of salt | Guardian, UK

Trump’s cannabis order will still leave users at risk of prosecution, experts say

Justice department is pushing to pursue simple possession cases, and ICE uses cannabis offenses to speed deportation | Guardian, UK

Rise in young people with ketamine-related bladder issues

Ketamine is one of the most commonly used substances in nightlife and at festivals. A review of waste water from the Ringsend treatment facility indicated that it was the third most used drug, after cocaine and cannabis | RTe, Ireland

Population-Level Health Benefits and Harms Associated With Buprenorphine/Naloxone vs Methadone

If Canada’s British Columbia province offered only buprenorphine for the maintenance treatment of opioid-dependent patients, significantly more patients would die than if methadone was the only option – an estimate which led the researchers to question policies which elevate buprenorphine to a ‘first-line’ treatment | JAMA Network Open, USA

Trouble Brewing – The Case for Alcohol Policy (Second Edition)

This updated second edition of Trouble Brewing examines how alcohol use contributes to widespread health, social and economic harm—affecting not only individuals, but also families, communities and health systems. The report also exposes how the alcohol industry shapes public perception and policy through targeted marketing, lobbying and corporate social responsibility efforts that downplay risks and obstruct effective regulation—often mirroring tactics historically used by the tobacco industry | Vital Strategies, USA

Expanded school-based program linked to lower youth tobacco use rates in California

Researchers from University of California San Diego report that an expanded, school-based tobacco prevention program in California was associated with significantly lower rates of smoking and vaping among middle and high school students | Medical Xpress, USA

Methamphetamine deaths have risen across every US region

Once considered a regional problem, methamphetamine-related overdose deaths have risen across every U.S. Census division, with particularly sharp spikes in the Southeast, including Mississippi, a new study reveals | Medical Xpress, USA

UNODC, Drug Trafficking Dynamics in Libya and across North Africa (2020-2024): Trends and Implications, 2025 PDF)

Seizure data and interview research indicate a rapid rise in the volume and variety of drugs being trafficked through and into North Africa over the past decade. An increase in seizures in Libya reflects counternarcotics efforts but also suggests that the country has been increasingly used as a node in this growing regional drug trade; criminals in Libya are facilitating the movement of cannabis resin, cocaine, illicitly sourced pharmaceuticals, and synthetic drugs across West and North Africa, the Middle East, Europe and beyond | UNODC, USA

The Problem With Crediting the Drop in Fentanyl OD to Supply Reduction

In September 2024 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released data showing that overdose mortality, which had been climbing sharply for a decade, had recently reversed course. Credit has been variously attributed to the Biden administration, the Trump administration, the harm reduction movement and the fact that many of the people at highest risk have already died. A new paper published in Science argues that the turnaround is largely attributed to “supply shock” | Filter Magazine, USA

 

Blogs, comment and opinion

Expert reaction to paper proposing thresholds for cannabis use, as published in Addiction

Reactions to the recently published paper are given here from Dr Marta Di Forti, MRC Senior Clinical Fellow, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King’s College London and from Prof David Nutt, The Edmond J Safra Chair and Head of the Centre for Neuropsychopharmacology, Dept of Medicine, Imperial College London, and Chair of the scientific committee of DrugScience | SMC, UK