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Daily news - 29th January 2026 |
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UK news
ACMD announces decision on the classification of ketamine
The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) has published its updated harms assessment of ketamine. The ACMD has advised the government ketamine should remain a class B controlled substance, but that police forces and health care professionals must receive greater support to better identify, prevent and respond to ketamine‑related harms | ACMD, UK
Ketamine: an updated review of use and harms
Following a 2025 government commission, the ACMD has carried out a review of the use and harms of ketamine | ACMD, UK
Health Survey for England, 2024
Key findings include: 1) Prevalence of current cigarette smoking among adults continued to decline, from 27% in 1993 to 11% in 2024. 2) Current e-cigarette use among adults aged 16 and over was 10% in 2024, this is similar to 2022 (9%). These figures represent an increase from earlier years, between 2016 and 2019 6% of adults regularly used e-cigarettes. 3) 77% of adults had drunk alcohol in the last 12 months. and 4) A higher proportion of men than women had drunk alcohol in the last week (50% of men and 38% of women). Men (27%) were also more likely than women (15%) to drink at levels that put them at increasing or higher risk of alcohol-related harm (over 14 units per week) | NHS England, UK
Growing number of adults avoid booze, says NHS survey
The latest data from the Health Survey for England for 2024 suggests 24% of adults said they haven't drunk alcohol in the previous year. But far fewer older people abstain from alcohol and those who do drink, are likely to do so at more dangerous levels | BBC, UK
Scratching the surface – what factors underpin public support for public health policies? (PDF)
This analysis of polling explores the factors that underpin public support for particular public health policies across tobacco, alcohol and food. The poll demonstrated that the public are concerned about the impact that tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy food and drink are having on the nation’s health and the NHS. It also revealed a distrust of big business and a desire for the government to do more to protect people from business practices that ultimately harm health | ASH, AHA, OHA, UK
THRIVE Impact Report 2024-2025
Our THRIVE Impact Report 2024-2025 offers a detailed look at our work over the past year and the impact we've had in Redcar and Cleveland. THRIVE is England's first integrated Domestic Abuse and Substance Use (IDAS) partnership | WithYou, UK
New scheme rolled out to help people in Wales with ketamine-related health problems
A new programme aimed at helping people access earlier support for ketamine-related health problems is being rolled out in Wales, as health services respond to a sharp rise in the use of the drug | Nation.Cymru, UK
Liverpool's 'aging substance misuse population' as former hotel to become rehab centre
The former hotel will support men going through problems with predominantly alcohol issues | Liverpool Echo, UK
Record number of offenders being recalled to prison in England and Wales
Exclusive: Union claims some offenders are deliberately breaking probation terms in order to deal drugs in jail | Guardian, UK
Inquiry to examine Aberdeenshire baby's drug-related death
Olly-James Sievewright, from Sandhaven, near Fraserburgh, was three months old when he died in hospital in December 2019 as a result of ingesting ecstasy and the effects of an infection | BBC, UK
International news
A cost–benefit analysis of the implementation and scale-up of harm reduction interventions in the Australian Capital Territory
[Open access] Modelled expanded and new harm reduction interventions for people who use drugs in the Australian Capital Territory appear to be likely to be cost saving from a societal perspective. If circulation of drugs with higher overdose risks was greater in this region, this would increase the impacts of interventions to prevent overdose and associated harms | Addiction, UK
Alcohol causes more harm in Canada than any other drug national expert study finds
Landmark national study is first to assess overall harm of 16 substances | CAMH, Canada
Blogs, comment and opinion
Back the Movement for Equality, Dignity and Real Change
The Anti-Stigma Network (ASN) is a volunteer-led organisation working to reduce the stigma and discrimination faced by people affected by drug and alcohol use. Stigma has real consequences. It stops people from accessing healthcare, housing and employment. It pushes people out of their communities, leaving them feeling unsafe and isolated. In a short time, ASN has grown into a national network of 1,300 members and 31 organisations, representing more than 10,200 staff | ASN, UK
Young Brits are no longer drinking – so what will a Saturday night look like for future generations?
It’s just not cool to be wasted any more. But for a country shaped by booze, it does pose questions about what comes next | Guardian opinion, UK
David’s story: “Acknowledge that you have a problem with alcohol. Be proactive in your health and seek help”
David had experienced depression since childhood and for the next three decades alcohol provided a lift ‘out of the mire’ until he was hospitalised in March 2023. Thank you for sharing your story, David | British Liver Trust, UK
Why Heineken’s zero-alcohol London Underground campaign fell flat
Brewing giant Heineken’s advertising campaign promoting its zero-alcohol beer on the London Underground forced its way into the public conversation. By temporarily altering signs and renaming stops to things like Oxf0.0rd Circus and Waterl0.0, the 0.0 brand placed itself inside one of the UK’s most recognisable public institutions | Conversation, UK
Should medical marijuana be less stringently regulated? A drug policy expert explains what’s at stake
Medical marijuana could soon be reclassified into a medical category that includes prescription drugs like Tylenol with codeine, ketamine and anabolic steroids. That’s because in December 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to reschedule marijuana to a less restricted category, continuing a process initiated by President Joe Biden in 2022. Currently, marijuana is in the most restrictive class, Schedule I, the same category as street drugs like LSD, ecstasy and heroin | Conversation, USA