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Daily news - 24th March 2026

UK news

Department of Health retracts claim sunbeds are as dangerous as smoking

DHSC corrects statements after regulator intervenes as experts say smoking causes far more cancer cases | Guardian, UK

SHAAP writes to First Minister following comments about alcohol taxation

SHAAP Chair, Dr Alastair MacGilchrist OBE, wrote to John Swinney regarding comments made in the Scottish Parliament on 12 February 2025 which described decisions on alcohol taxation by successive UK Governments as “stupid decisions on alcohol taxation” which have made it “more and more difficult for the spirits and beer industry in this country to survive | SHAAP, UK

Southampton West PCN sign NHS Smokefree Pledge

Southampton’s West Primary Care Network (PCN) is the latest to back the NHS Smokefree Pledge, a commitment developed by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) for a smoke free NHS | Daily Echo, UK

Sports clubs team up to ban smoking and vaping at local matches in Leeds

Leeds City Council, Leeds Rhinos Foundation and Leeds United Foundation have teamed up to encourage grassroots football and rugby clubs to restrict spectators from smoking or vaping at training sessions and match days | Yorkshire Evening Post, UK

'From Programme to Prosper': an evaluation of Forward's community rehabilitation programmes

Our community rehabilitation programmes (or ‘structured day programmes’) are essential elements of our substance misuse service delivery and one of the main pathways to recovery that we offer to our clients | Forward Trust, UK

Conversations about Alcohol - Episode 6 - Katriona Paterson - podcast

In this episode, our podcast host and GP Dr Rachel Phillips is joined by Katriona Paterson, clinical nurse manager with a special interest in mental health and substance use. Katriona discusses the evidence and research behind consultation styles for helping patients with alcohol misuse problems | RCGP Scotland, UK

What should the UK do about alcohol harms? | Trailer

The SSA filmed a policy roundtable discussion in February 2026 on the topic of a national alcohol strategy. Full video coming Wednesday 25 March 2026 | SSA, UK

Request to pull cannabis working group debate [Guernsey]

A debate on whether Guernsey should explore legalising cannabis may be pulled after the politician leading the proposal said allegations had created a "risk" of undermining discussions | BBC, UK

International news

[Open access] In this study, we qualitatively assess the impact of a well-established multimodal drug checking service (DCS) in Vienna, Austria, from the viewpoint of actual and prospective users | IJDP, UK

Erythroxylum coca: Los confundidos – A documentary amplifying indigenous voices on coca policy

A new documentary by the Transnational Institute, Erythroxylum Coca. Los Confundidos, brings forward the perspectives of Indigenous and peasant communities whose lives and cultures are deeply intertwined with the coca leaf | IDPC, UK

Fentanyl found in packaging of Barbie dolls sold at Missouri discount store

Police in Independence, Missouri, said in a statement on Saturday that store security at Cargo Largo, a local discount store, contacted authorities “regarding a suspicious powder substance located in the packaging of a Barbie Doll”. Officers tested the substance and determined that it was fentanyl, the potent synthetic opiate, they said. Authorities then worked with the store and determined that “five compromised units were sold” | Guardian, UK

Judge imposes 'significant deterrent' as €42m cocaine smugglers jailed

The Special Criminal Court has jailed seven cocaine smugglers for terms of between 10-and-a-half years and 12 years, with the presiding judge saying she must impose a "significant deterrent" to international criminal operations that use Ireland's coastline to import drugs, causing immeasurable damage | Irish Examiner, Ireland

EUDA launches new civil society platform on drugs to strengthen dialogue and cooperation

The European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) has launched its new civil society platform on drugs, a dedicated online space designed to strengthen cooperation with civil society organisations (CSOs) across Europe. The new platform provides a structured framework for information exchange, knowledge sharing and consultation between the EUDA and CSOs. It will enable organisations to contribute expertise, engage in dialogue with the agency and stay informed about key developments in the drugs field | EUDA, Portugal

Sabba: Building the Future of Psychedelic Therapy Education” — Interview with Jeremy Rudy

Jeremy Rudy, founder of the Sabba Collective, explains how psychedelic therapy can be integrated into society safely and responsibly — from education to policy | Drug Reporter, Hungary

Kids who lose a parent to homicide, suicide or drug overdose face higher mortality risk

Childhood deaths are significantly higher among children who lose a parent to drug overdose, homicide, or suicide compared to the general child population, a new University of Michigan study found | Medical Xpress, USA

How do people ask for substance use support on Reddit?

Many people turn to online forums like Reddit to ask questions and seek support related to substance use and recovery. This study explored the types of substance use-related information and support individuals seek on Reddit with the goal of informing the tailoring of specific content for public health communication campaigns that address substance use and recovery | Recovery Research Institute, USA

Is more time in recovery associated with greater willingness to accept later rewards and more immediate costs?

The tendency to prefer immediate to delayed rewards, known as delayed discounting, is a well-documented human trait that varies across people and is also known to predict substance use disorder. However, less is known about delayed discounting rates among people in recovery from substance use disorder. Such rates, if improved, may be a marker of recovery progress, or if still elevated, may impede recovery progress. This study investigated differences in delayed reward discounting and delayed loss discounting among individuals at different points in recovery | Recovery Research Institute, USA

When do parents’ drinking habits influence children the most?

New UNSW research following thousands of Australian families over 23 years shows parents’ drinking matters most when teenagers are 15 to 17 – and again when those teenagers grow up and become parents themselves | UNSW, Australia

Blogs, comment and opinion

Is it OK to drink in front of your kids? New research shows the age they’re most influenced

It’s a Friday evening and you pour a glass of wine while your teenager sits at the kitchen bench scrolling their phone. They barely look up. But they notice more than you think | Conversation, Australia [See also UNSW item above]

And finally...

Birds Are Getting Hooked on Cigarettes

Some species of birds are getting hooked on cigarettes — but not for the reason you might think. Instead of suffering from a debilitating nicotine addiction, blue tits across Europe are hoarding cigarette butts to ward off parasites using the natural and artificial toxins in tobacco and cigarette butts | Futurism, UK

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