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Daily news - 28th January 2026

UK news

One in four adults in England do not drink alcohol, survey finds

Questionnaire completed by 10,000 people finds sobriety on rise, with women slightly more abstemious than men | Guardian, UK

Rapid Action Drug Alerts and Response (RADAR) quarterly report

Drug-related harms remained high between September and November 2025. Although naloxone administrations fell compared to the previous quarter, they were 22% higher than in the same period in 2024. Most harms involved multiple drugs, reflecting continued polysubstance use. Significant market changes were also observed: clonazolam was the most common street benzodiazepine, detections of nitazene-type opioids in deaths reached their highest level to date, and cocaine remained the most frequently reported drug across treatment and toxicology data | Pubic Health Scotland, UK

Drug and alcohol information system (DAISy)

This annual release reports on people presenting for initial assessment at specialist drug and alcohol treatment services in Scotland provided by Alcohol and Drug Partnerships in 2024/25. For the first time this release also includes information on treatment outcomes. Across Scotland, assessment completeness was 67% in 2024/25. Initial assessments for 17,578 people accessing specialist alcohol and/or drug treatment were recorded on DAISy | Public Health Scotland, UK

Alcohol related hospital statistics

This annual release provides statistics relating to inpatient or day case admissions that occur within NHS Scotland hospitals where the patient was recorded as having at least one condition that can be wholly attributed to alcohol. In 2024/25 there were 29,430 hospital admissions for conditions wholly attributable to alcohol in Scotland. The majority of these admissions (92%) were treated in general acute hospitals (27,126) with the remaining 8% occurring in psychiatric hospitals (2,304) | Public Health Scotland, UK

The role of vaping in smoking cessation - an addendum to the 'Guide to smoking cessation in Scotland (2017)'

This document provides additional guidance to the existing Smoking Cessation Service Specification, reflecting new products and smoking cessation aids | Public Health Scotland, UK

Urgent warning issued after drugs overdoses

It comes after reports of emergency services responding to four unresponsive people, believed to have overdosed, at the weekend. Geoff Barnes, deputy director of public health for northern Lincolnshire, said "some harmful drugs" were circulating in the Grimsby area | BBC, UK

Three unexplained drug deaths probed by police

One of three men who died after taking drugs in Lancashire may have taken a contaminated batch of heroin, police have said. The men, two aged in their 30s and 40s from Morecambe and a man in his 50s from Carnforth, died on separate occasions earlier this month but "over a relatively short space of time", Lancashire Police said | BBC, UK

Ketamine rise among young people sparks raids

A police force says it has seen a rise in the use of the drug ketamine in young people, with some becoming seriously ill. Cumbria Police said those taking the Class B drug were suffering with bladder function problems and kidney issues | BBC, UK

Coroner orders inquiry into prescription drug death

Police have been asked by a coroner to investigate the illegal distribution of prescription drugs following the death of a woman from an overdose. Heidi Williams, 55, died in her home in Northamptonshire on 14 December 2024. A post-mortem examination found the cause of death was opiate and Bromazolam toxicity | BBC, UK

Pubs given support package after business rates backlash

Pubs and music venues in England will be given a 15% discount on their business rates bills from April and will not see increases for two years, the government has announced | BBC, UK

Alcohol 'still biggest concern' for support group [Guernsey]

Executive officer Tracey Rear said the "complexity of dual diagnosis" of people with substance or gambling issues and mental health challenges such as a depression, anxiety or trauma was a key theme in 2025 | BBC, UK

National Reunion 2026: A day of celebration, connection and creativity

On Saturday 24 January 2026, The Forward Trust National Reunion brought together our incredible recovery community for a day of shared stories, uplifting performances, and meaningful connection at St John’s Church in Hackney | Forward Trust, UK

Organised crime groups used UK airport to collect Mexican cocaine

Criminals from two organised crime groups have been convicted over an elaborate plot to fly large amounts of cocaine into a UK airport, following a National Crime Agency investigation | NCA, UK

International news

Study reveals one lifestyle habit that could put you at risk of long Covid

Consuming tobacco could put you at an increased risk of suffering chest pain, shortness of breath and pain in your joints | Independent, UK

Sniffer dogs and bag searches can make drug danger at festivals more likely, Victorian coroner finds

Findings follow death of woman at Marlo Altitude music festival in 2023, with coroner recommending state urgently update 2013 code of practice | Guardian, UK

EU court rebukes Hungary over UN cannabis vote

Hungary breached EU principles by voting against the bloc's common position on the classification of cannabis during a UN meeting, the European Union's top court has ruled | RTe, Ireland

Big Alcohol Exposed 2025: New Report Reveals Coordinated Interference Patterns Across Policy, Markets, and Public Debate

The Big Alcohol Exposed Report 2025 reveals how alcohol corporations, their front groups, and lobbyists intensified coordinated political interference, market shaping, and narrative control throughout 2025 as commercial pressure mounted and social norms shifted | Movendi, Sweden

The Merseyside Experiment: Will UK Recall Its Heroin-Prescribing History?

“The war on drugs has failed,” Zack Polanski told reporters in October 2025. The new leader of the Green Party for England and Wales, rising in the polls after his appointment, called for legalization and a drug-policy approach “led by public health experts, not politicians.” | Filter Magazine, USA

[Open access] Opioid agonist therapy (OAT) is the gold standard of treatment for opioid dependence and a cornerstone of Swiss drug policy. The Swiss Association for the Medical Management in Substance Users (SAMMSU) cohort was established to monitor health trends and improve care for OAT patients across Switzerland | Drug and Alcohol Dependence Reports, USA

Major US tobacco brands flout policies to restrict young people's access to their content on Instagram, finds study

Leading US tobacco brands are flouting platform and federal marketing policies designed to restrict young people's access to their content on the popular social media platform Instagram, indicates research published online in the journal Tobacco Control | Medical Xpress, USA

[Open access] While interest in the therapeutic and recreational use of hallucinogens has increased, national surveillance often reports use in aggregate, potentially masking shifting trends among pharmacologically distinct substances. This study assessed trends in specific hallucinogens from 2021 to 2023 | Drug and Alcohol Dependence Reports, USA

Effects of different exercise types on craving in substance use disorder patients with drug dependence -network meta-analysis and dose-response relationships based on frequentist and Bayesian models

[Open access] Analysis of 30 randomised trials suggests that combinations of aerobic and resistance exercises have been the most effective at curbing craving | Addiction Science and Clinical Practice, USA

Randomised Controlled Trial Evidence on Medicinal Cannabis for Treatment of Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders: A Scoping Review

[Open access] Cannabis preparations have been trialled to moderate withdrawal symptoms and craving related to use of cannabis, cocaine, opioids and tobacco, as well as to treat mental health conditions. Reviewers say the sparse evidence “does not support routine prescribing of medicinal cannabis for any psychiatric indication” | Clinical Drug Investigation, USA

The DRAM, Vol. 22(1) – Understanding late-onset alcohol problems among older adults

In 2024, an estimated 2.9 million U.S. adults aged 65+ met the criteria for an alcohol use disorder. One-third of older adults with problematic drinking develop these behaviors later in life, a pattern known as late-onset drinking. This week, The DRAM reviews a study by Kevin McInerney and colleagues that investigated psychosocial factors that contribute to the development of late-onset problematic alcohol use | CHA, USA

Fentanyl Child Endangerment Bills Ramp Up Across the US

Multiple states have introduced legislation this January aimed at addressing accidental drug exposure in minors. Drug-related fatalities among children under 5 increased sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic, peaking at 98 deaths in 2022. Many of the new bills pertain to fentanyl specifically, while others broaden their scope to methamphetamine and other non-prescribed controlled substances | Filter Magazine, USA

Blogs, comment and opinion

Why we should have cancer warnings on alcohol

Decades of research show that alcohol increases the risk of multiple cancers, including cancers of the mouth, throat, oesophagus, liver, bowel, and breast. For some cancers, such as breast cancer, the risk increases even at low levels of drinking. Yet despite this strong evidence, public awareness of the alcohol–cancer link remains limited. This matters, because people cannot act on a risk they do not recognise | IAS blog, UK

Alcohol trial in focus at 'fortress' Fir Park - Fan's voice

I personally agree with the alcohol trials but feel communication about the roll-out could have been clearer | BBC, UK

Ending duty-free tobacco sales would be good for health – and health budgets

Until recently, Aotearoa New Zealand led global tobacco control innovation. Evidence-based policies, including sustained tobacco excise tax increases, saw large reductions in smoking rates, which will save thousands of lives. Yet duty-free tobacco sales remain a curious anomaly and contradict efforts to reduce smoking prevalence | Conversation, New Zealand

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