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Daily news - 4th June 2026

UK news

55 Years of the Misuse of Drugs Act

EDM (Early Day Motion)258 tabled on 02 June 2026. This motion has been signed by 5 Members. It has not yet had any amendments submitted. Motion text: "That this House notes that the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, which received Royal Assent 55 years ago, has failed to reduce drug consumption and that drug deaths are now at a record high; regrets that the Act is clearly not fit for purpose, having instead increased harm, damaged public health and exacerbated social inequalities..." | UK Parliament, UK

Research Briefing: Ketamine

Ketamine is classified as a class B drug in the UK. Data suggests that ketamine use is increasing and there are concerns about the harms of misuse. This briefing covers prevalence of use, effects, risks and more | House of Commons Library, UK

Social media app normalises illegal vaping among teens, study finds

Content shared on social media platforms is contributing to the normalisation of illegal vaping among young people, according to new research from the University of East Anglia (UEA) | Dental Nursing, UK

Banning smoking at school gates is backed by research

Research carried out for campaigners at Asthma + Lung UK Scotland found 83.7% agree the Scottish Government should bar people from lighting up outside schools | TFN, UK

Public Health Agency: Advice to Festivalgoers

Mr Harvey asked the Minister of Health whether he agrees that messaging such as that of a social media post by the Public Health Agency (PHA) over the weekend of which he may be aware, in which music festivalgoers were advised to "start with a small dose" when taking drugs, is totally unacceptable | They work for you, UK

Road Traffic Offences: Alcoholic Drinks

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of current policy in reducing harm from drink driving and repeat offending on UK roads | They work for you, UK

£100m medicinal cannabis complex plans withdrawn

Plans to build a £100m complex on the Isle of Man to grow and export medicinal cannabis have been withdrawn, four years after they were submitted | BBC, UK

Using Dedicated Locations To Tackle The Drug Market In Prisons: New Episode of Leading Forward Podcast

Our Leading Forward series has released a new podcast episode, 'Using Dedicated Locations To Tackle The Drug Market In Prisons.' | Forward Trust, UK

Mapping the advice on alcohol-free drinks that alcohol treatment and recovery service providers give to their service users - survey

We're looking for people who work in alcohol treatment or recovery services to complete a survey on what advice is given to service users about alcohol-free drinks | University of Sheffield, UK

Tickets available for Emma Urquhart Cup on 13 June

With just under two weeks until kick-off, there's still time to buy tickets in advance for this amazing tribute event to Emma Urquhart, a much-loved and missed member of the East Kent recovery community | Forward Trust, UK

Needles linked to drug use found in car park

Police confirmed the items had been removed for disposal and warned that discarded needles or syringes posed a particular danger to children. It comes after similar drugs paraphernalia was found last week near a children's play area in nearby Ballykelly | BBC, UK

Clerk spent stolen council money on cocaine binges

A parish clerk who was jailed for 18 months after stealing more than £60,000 of council funds spent nearly all of the money on his cocaine habit, police have said | BBC, UK

International news

Is Portugal’s drugs policy in need of reform? - audio

In 2001, Portugal decriminalised the possession and use of all illicit drugs. It was a move designed to mitigate the country’s public health crisis, which at the time meant Portugal had one of the worst rates of overdose deaths in Europe, as well as the highest rate of HIV among drug users. Whilst drugs remained illegal, users did not receive a criminal record but were instead referred to rehabilitation and treatment programmes | BBC, UK

From Golden Crescent to Crystal Crescent: The Making of Balochistan’s New Meth Economy

When we think about Afghanistan and drugs, one substance comes to mind: opium. Indeed, the country has essentially had a monopoly on the global production of opiates (albeit with some periods of significant interruption) during most of the past 40 years. In 1999, Afghanistan produced 79% of the world’s supply of illicit opium; nearly ten years later in 2018, that figure had risen to 84% | Talking Drugs, UK

NSW motorists who use medicinal cannabis may soon be able to drive without fear of major penalty

Premier Chris Minns says changes would balance road safety and a more practical approach for medicinal cannabis users | Guardian, UK

Nicotine use soars by 40% in eight years as Australian black market explodes

Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates nicotine consumption rose 40%, with illicit sources accounting for 80% of all tobacco | Guardian, UK

[Open access] Opioid substitution treatment: what's important to the patients? In Spain, top of the list was weekly rather than monthly or daily administration of methadone or buprenorphine. Of least concern was contact with healthcare staff, chiming with findings that more intense psychosocial inputs often garner little or no extra benefits | Addictive Behaviors Reports, USA

[Open access] Scopes the literature evaluating weight-loss/diabetes medications deployed as treatments for substance use problems, usually among overweight patients. The rationale is that these may suppress the previously valued effects of drugtaking, just as they can do for eating | Addictive Behaviors Reports, USA

Researchers find older adults rarely discuss cannabis use with clinicians

Fewer than 1 in 5 adults older than 65 report discussing their cannabis use with clinicians, according to Rutgers Health researchers. Their study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, explored the prevalence of conversations between patients and clinicians about cannabis use and its potential harms | Medical Xpress, USA

Cannabis use increases surgical, medical, and psychosocial complications after lower extremity fracture fixation and shows compounded risk with concurrent nicotine use

[Open access] Despite expanding legalization, the perioperative effects of cannabis on surgical outcomes remain uncertain. This retrospective cohort study used electronic health record data to evaluate the association between cannabis use, with and without concurrent nicotine exposure, and postoperative outcomes following orthopedic lower extremity trauma fixation | Nature, USA

Marketed as natural and nicotine-free, these cigarettes hide hazards far worse than most buyers expect

Herbal cigarettes, widely sold in India and abroad as natural, tobacco-free, and even therapeutic alternatives to conventional cigarettes, are not safer than regular tobacco cigarettes. They produce emissions that can be comparable or even more damaging than tobacco smoke | Medical Xpress, USA

[Open access] Spread of misuse of the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl led a Canadian clinic for people at high risk of overdose to prescribe the same drug as a tablet, patch, or injection, providing a "model for the prescription of multiple fentanyl or fentanyl-analogue formulations" which succeeds in "reducing reliance on unregulated drug supply" | DAD, USA

Blogs, comment and opinion

Ketamine use is rising sharply

Ketamine use is rising sharply. In England and Wales, the number of annual users has doubled to around 300,000 in less than a decade, while the number seeking treatment for ketamine-related problems has surged more than eightfold over the same period. Most concerningly, this increase has been especially pronounced among young people. Given these trends, it is unsurprising that cases of serious physical and psychological harm linked to ketamine use have also increased significantly | Comment Central, UK

Why comparing social media and tobacco misses the point

The latest comparison between social media and tobacco comes courtesy of Denmark's Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, whose comments that she would "rather have [her] children smoking than allowing them to stay on their own on social media" have sparked debate | ASH blog, UK

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