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Daily news - 16th June 2026

UK news

Tough US-style courts to crack down on repeat offenders

A £9 million funding boost announced on 12 June will help to more than double the number of Intensive Supervision Courts, an innovative approach to sentencing which aims to cut reoffending by tackling the causes of crime. The model recognises that factors like addiction and trauma can be the root causes of repeat offending. It forces low-level offenders to attend weekly sessions and appear before the same judge who will track their behaviour, reserving prison spaces for the dangerous criminals who need them. Those who fail to attend hearings, continue to misuse substances or refuse to engage in mandatory treatment will face tough consequences such as tagging or even time in prison | Ministry of Justice and The Rt Hon David Lammy MP, UK

Characteristics of deaths due to drug-related causes among individuals recently released from prison in the United Kingdom, 1997–2025

[Open access] Despite rising prison populations, over this century releases from prison have formed a diminishing fraction of all drug-related deaths in the UK. Opioid drugs and (when this was known) injecting are by far the dominant drug-related characteristics of the typically young men who died | Addiction, UK

“Photography and filmmaking is my new high. I want to tell people: you can still turn your life around”: Wigan man shares inspiring story for Men’s Health Week

A 29-year-old man in recovery from alcohol, tramadol, and crack cocaine is sharing his story this Men’s Health Week to offer hope to people struggling with their mental health | WithYou, UK

Somerset Public Health Director calls for safe injecting space - video

A safe injecting space would limit drug harm, says health boss. Alison Bell says the facility could also test the substances and help people if they overdose | BBC, UK

County Durham PCC calls for ketamine to be made Class A

County Durham and Darlington’s police and crime commissioner has urged the Government to urgently toughen the law on ketamine, warning that inaction risks fuelling a growing public health and crime emergency | Northern Echo, UK

Gang guilty of organised crime in £4m cocaine and dirty money ring

Five men have pleaded guilty to being involved in serious organised crime after police uncovered a £4m cocaine and dirty money ring | BBC, UK

Watch: Cocaine gang taken down in series of arrests - video

Members of an organised crime network responsible for funnelling cocaine worth millions of pounds into Essex have all now been sentenced. Detectives from Essex Police spent two years piecing together the conspiracy and "unpicking" the supply chain responsible for trafficking and distributing dozens of kilograms of the Class A drug across the county | BBC, UK

International news

Use and harms of gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) with Amy Peacock and Krista Siefried - podcast

Dr Elle Wadsworth talks to Dr Amy Peacock, an Associate Professor and Deputy Director of the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, and Dr Krista Siefried, a Clinical Research Lead and Deputy Director, of the National Centre for Clinical Research on Emerging Drugs. The interview covers two research articles: 1) Amy’s article on trends in gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) use, harms and treatment in Australia and 2) Krista’s article on emergency department presentations, hospitalisations and police seizure data related to GHB in New South Wales, Australia | Addiction Audio, UK

How parents can talk to their kids about vaping as FDA authorizes some flavored e-cigarettes

Nearly 6% of U.S. middle and high school students vape | Independent, UK

EUDA initial report on the new psychoactive substance spirochlorphine

8-[1-(4-Chlorophenyl)ethyl]-1-phenyl-1,3,8-triazaspiro[4.5]decan-4-one, commonly known as spirochlorphine, is a spirotriazole and a synthetic opioid belonging to the orphine opioids, a group of related new synthetic opioids. It is monitored by the EUDA as a new psychoactive substance through the European Union Early Warning System | EUDA, Portugal

EUDA initial report on the new psychoactive substance cychlorphine

3-(3-{1-[1-(4-Chlorophenyl)ethyl]piperidin-4-yl}-2-oxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-1,3-benzimidazol-1-yl)propanenitrile, commonly known as cychlorphine, is a piperidine benzimidazolone and synthetic opioid belonging to the orphine opioids, a group of related new synthetic opioids. It is monitored by the EUDA as a new psychoactive substance through the European Union Early Warning System | EUDA, Portugal

Patient-Centered Podcasts: An Educational Innovation to Improve Attitudes Toward Patients with Opioid Use Disorder Among Internal Medicine Practitioners

[Open access] Trial of what the researchers believe is the first educational podcast series for general medical clinicians featuring the "authentic lived experience" of opioid use treatment patients | JGIM, USA

Canada legalized non-medical cannabis in 2018, with marketing and promotion regulated under the Cannabis Act. However, little is known about the promotional practices of licensed cannabis retailers. This study analyzed the online content of Canadian cannabis retailer websites and assessed apparent violations of federal marketing regulations | IJDP, USA

Blogs, comment and opinion

Cooling ingredients in vapes might cause irregular heartbeats

For years, flavour additives in e-cigarettes have been largely viewed as a secondary concern compared with nicotine. Research and regulation have focused on addiction, nicotine delivery and, more recently, the respiratory effects of vaping. But as evidence accumulates researchers are increasingly asking whether certain flavouring ingredients have health effects of their own | Conversation, Ireland

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