Home | Archive | Weekly | Reports

Daily news - 27th January 2026

UK news

Scores of children treated for drug and alcohol use

Some 270 pupils have been suspended or excluded from Norfolk schools for taking drugs in the past year, according to findings by the BBC Shared Data Unit. In total, 259 pupils – including two primary school children – were suspended for using illicit substances, while 11 secondary school children were excluded. The figures from an investigation into drug use also found that 120 Norfolk youngsters accessed treatment for drugs and alcohol last year, with nearly half of them aged under 16 | BBC, UK

Price a bigger factor than health when drinking less, study claims

Price is a more significant influence than health and wellbeing among consumers who are cutting back on their alcohol consumption, new research from MMR Research shows. The consumer research agency said that 39% of consumers are limiting their alcohol intake due to affordability, compared with just 22% who say they’re doing so to support health and fitness goals and 14% who want to be more mindful | Drinks Retailing, UK

"I've lost my bladder to ketamine" - video

In this episode, we’re joined by Ollie, who had his bladder removed at just 24 after long-term ketamine use. Now the founder of ⁠Ketamine Support Wales⁠, Ollie shares his eight-year journey — from first trying ketamine at a party at 15, to the severe physical pain that eventually led to life-changing surgery | Barod, UK

Ten arrested over suspected drug overdoses

Four people were found unresponsive in the East Marsh area of Grimsby after they were believed to have overdosed on suspected heroin and a synthetic amphetamine, the force added | BBC, UK

Warning issued after 3 deaths in Lancaster and Morecambe from contaminated heroin

Lancashire Drug Alert Panel and Inspire Lancashire said there have been three drug-related deaths in the Lancaster and Morecambe area in the last 10 days associated with the contaminated heroin | Lancashire Post, UK

How long you should wait to take different recreational drugs again after a ‘session’

A recent TikTok from the University of Bristol’s student TV station has sparked a conversation for giving students advice on how to take MDMA | Metro, UK

IoPPN Presents: Stories of Addiction and Recovery - Screening & Discussion

TODAY. Tuesday, Jan 27, 2026 from 5:30 pm to 7 pm GMT. Wolfson Lecture Theatre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, 16 De Crespigny Park SE5 8AB. Join the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) during Dry January for an inspiring showcase of lived-experience filmmaking. This special event - hosted in partnership with the Recovery Street Film Festival (RSFF) - features six award-winning short films from RSFF 2025, exploring addiction, recovery, and the power of community | IoPPN, UK

Substance Use: How Family Hubs can play a role in identifying families in need

Wed 04 Feb, 12:00 - 13:30 GMT, Online. Parental alcohol or drug use can have a significant impact on family dynamics and child wellbeing – yet it is often hidden from view. And it not just the children who are affected; adults who are the family members or friends of someone with a substance use disorder can experience emotional, social, phycological and financial problems. This webinar will explore how you can recognise and identify where substance use may be a factor; how you can provide harm minimisation advice and signpost to further support | National Centre for Family Hubs, UK

Drug dealer attacked with 'strong' acid over debt

Danny Cahalane, 38, was attacked in the bedroom of his Plymouth home by two men before one returned minutes later to throw acid in his face at his front door, Winchester Crown Court heard | BBC, UK

International news

Record 9 tonnes of cocaine seized from ‘narco-sub’ by Portuguese police

Four arrested after authorities intercept semi-submersible vessel bound for Europe | Guardian, UK

Avoiding Colonization in the Psychedelic Renaissance – In Dialogue with Charlotte James

Charlotte James is a medicine woman, educator, and founder of the Psychedelic Liberation training. With Afro-Caribbean and Germanic ancestry, her work weaves together ancestral healing, social justice, embodiment, and plant medicine. In our conversation, she speaks about liberation, informed care, the power of ritual, and how to bring accountability and integrity into psychedelic spaces | Drug Reporter, Hungary

Cyprus takes over the EU Presidency with the motto ‘An Autonomous Union. Open to the World’

This month, Cyprus assumed the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union, under the overarching motto ‘An Autonomous Union. Open to the World’. During its mandate, Cyprus will chair the Horizontal Working Party on Drugs, with a focus on strengthening a comprehensive, evidence-based and humane EU approach to drug policy | EUDA, Portugal

EUDA webinar: #ScaleUp initiative — scalable interventions for the treatment and care of stimulant use disorders

28 Jan 2026. Online. This event marks the first in a series of webinars under the #ScaleUp project. The initiative aims to address the treatment gap for stimulant use disorders and expand related evidence-based responses. The webinar series is designed to progressively address the key domains of stimulant use disorder treatment and care | EUDA, Portugal

Why the age you start smoking matters as much as how much you smoke

A massive nationwide study shows that lighting up before age 20 leaves a lasting cardiovascular imprint, intensifying the damage of smoking and raising the risk of heart attack, stroke, and early death well into adulthood | News Medical, USA

Cannabis-infused beverages may help people cut back on alcohol consumption

Cannabis-infused beverages may provide a unique opportunity for helping people drink less alcohol, according to the findings of a small study led by public health researchers from the University at Buffalo | Medical Xpress, USA

Kratom: What parents need to know about this risky substance

Kratom products can be seen at gas stations, vape shops or online. Marketed as "natural" and often sold in forms such as powders, capsules and gummies, kratom is gaining popularity in the U.S. among teens. But while it comes from a plant, that doesn't make it safe | Medical Xpress, USA

Mobile Telemedicine for Treating Chronic Hepatitis C Among Rural People Who Inject Drugs

In this randomized clinical trial of 150 rural persons with chronic HCV infection and a history of drug injection, a mobile telemedicine-based HCV intervention, compared with enhanced usual care, was associated with significantly greater initiation of HCV treatment (57% vs 27%) and viral clearance (37% vs 19%) but not reduced equipment sharing | JAMA Network Open, USA

U.S. Psychedelic Use and Microdosing in 2025 - Insights from a Probability-Based and Nationally Representative Survey

Among the findings were - 1) The top five psychedelic substances used by U.S. adults in the past year were psilocybin, MDMA, Amanita muscaria mushrooms, ketamine, and LSD. 2) Psilocybin was the most used psychedelic substance, with approximately 11 million U.S. adults using it in the past year and 3) Approximately 10 million U.S. adults microdosed psilocybin, LSD, or MDMA in the past year | RAND, USA

[Open access] North America faces an ongoing overdose crisis driven by a volatile and toxic drug supply comprised primarily of fentanyl, fentanyl analogues and other adulterants. Safer opioid supply (SOS) programs prescribe pharmaceutical opioids to individuals at high risk of overdose mortality. This study evaluated changes in non-fatal overdose prevalence in the 6 months after SOS program initiation among SOS participants in Kitchener-Waterloo, Canada | IJDP, USA

Effects of physical exercise interventions on multidimensional health outcomes in patients with substance use disorders: a network meta-analysis

Separate analyses of studies on ‘mind-body’ exercises like yoga versus aerobic exercises like running reveal that each helps in different ways – evidence on which to base individualised exercise ‘prescriptions’ for substance use patients | Frontiers in Psychiatry, USA

Blogs, comment and opinion

When Researchers Undermine Their Own Evidence: The Emergence of “Reverse Spin Bias”

A new study by O’Leary et al (2026) published in Research Integrity and Peer Review introduces a striking, unexplored phenomenon in academic research: “reverse spin bias.” | Drug Science blog, UK

New study: Some crimes increased, others decreased around Toronto supervised consumption sites

Between 2020 and 2025, 48 overdose prevention and supervised consumption sites operated in Canada. While studies show they can reduce mortality and health service use for people who use drugs, they are controversial | Conversation, Canada

Extend Studio