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Daily news - 31st March 2026 |
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UK news
Monday briefing: Has the single-use vape ban made any difference to our health or our environment?
Nearly a year after disposable vapes were outlawed, new figures suggest the policy has delivered only modest gains while creating new challenges | Guardian, UK
Look out for counterfeit nicotine pouches, warns leading supplier
Nicotine pouch supplier Northerner has warned that fake products are becoming an increasing risk | Talking Retail, UK
'We are a cafe for medicinal cannabis users'
A community space on the Isle of Man is aiming to reshape perceptions of medicinal cannabis by offering patients a place to use their prescriptions openly and "without judgement" | BBC, UK
UK shop closed after ‘Spice-laced vapes’ make children sick
A shop in a UK town has been shut after selling illegal tobacco and vapes suspected to contain Spice. Two children have reportedly become unwell after using vapes from the store | Express, UK
Forward and ROAR team up for Canterbury Recovery Walk (28 March 2026)
A group of around 90 people took to the streets of Canterbury on Saturday 28th March for a six-mile recovery walk aimed at raising awareness for recovery and mental health | Forward Trust, UK
Growing number of teens being exploited by drug gangs, charity says
Exploitation of vulnerable young people in the Highlands by so-called county lines drug gangs has worsened, according to workers for a children's charity. Staff at Barnardo's Scotland say criminal groups are targeting youths in Inverness and threatening them with violence and rising drug debt | BBC, UK
Town's drug-dealing 'hotspots' identified
Police have been asked to investigate areas of Shrewsbury which are prone to drug dealing. The West Mercia force was asked to look into the "hotspots" identified by town councillors as priorities | BBC, UK
Head of large drugs gang and his 'lieutenant' jailed
The head of a large-scale drugs gang and his "trusted lieutenant" have been jailed for dealing cocaine and money laundering, police have said | BBC, UK
International news
Vaping likely to cause lung and oral cancer, Australian researchers find in new review of evidence
‘There is no doubt that the cells and tissues of the oral cavity, the mouth and the lungs are altered by inhalation from e-cigarettes,’ academic says | Guardian, UK [See also Expert Reaction to the study in Blogs section below]
Sharpening the knives: the EU battle over tobacco begins
A bloc led by France and the Netherlands wants tighter restrictions, Italy and Greece ask for solid scientific evidence | Euractiv, Belgium
German high court rules against medicinal cannabis advertisements
In a ruling posted on March 26, 2026, the First Civil Senate of the Federal Court of Justice, which handles competition law in Germany, ruled that a company operating an online platform that brokers medical cannabis treatments and connects patients with cooperating doctors violates medicinal product advertising law by publicly advertising prescription drugs | Stratcann, USA
Study uses AI to rank 10 factors tied to positive substance use recovery outcomes
Researchers at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa are using artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) to better understand what improves outcomes for individuals receiving treatment for substance use disorders | Medical Xpress, USA
Jail-based programs could dramatically reduce hepatitis C infections
A Stanford study shows that jail-based hepatitis C programs could cut new infections by nearly half among people who inject drugs, potentially providing a major boost to lagging U.S. efforts to meet national hepatitis C elimination goals | Medical Xpress, USA
Congress Poised to Schedule Xylazine, Because Otherwise the DEA Will Do It
Three years in the making, the legislative push to place xylazine under Schedule III of the federal Controlled Substances Act is nearing the finish line | Filter Magazine, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Medical cannabinoids as a treatment for mental health: helpful or hazardous?
Cannabis policies are becoming increasingly liberal worldwide, partly driven by interest in the potential therapeutic effects of cannabinoids for mental health conditions and substance use disorders (SUDs). This shift has been accompanied by a growing number of individuals reporting medicinal cannabis use, as well as rising prescription rates of medical cannabinoids, particularly for mental health symptoms | Mental Elf blog, UK
Expert reaction to qualitative risk assessment on the carcinogenicity of e-cigarettes
A risk assessment published in Carcinogenesis looks at the carcinogenicity of e-cigarettes. Here, a number of experts give their opinion on the study | Science Media Centre, UK
The Syrian super-drug coming for Britain Captagon is too lucrative to stop
I was meant to be shadowing the anti-drug squad. But when I call my contact in the Syrian government, as I huddle by the stove in my Damascus flat, there’s only bad news. “We’re overwhelmed,” he says apologetically, explaining that the unit I was meant to follow is busy fighting Kurds in the north. Syria’s drug squads, in many ways, aren’t trained counter-narcotics officers at all | UnHerd, UK
The Guardian view on peptides: Robert F Kennedy Jr would leave public health policy to the hucksters
The US health secretary says he is a big fan of peptides. Many are promising drugs, but the only way to know their utility is proper clinical trials | Guardian opinion, UK
Blue Cities Are Finally Showing Sanity on Drugs and Crime
Time-tested policies have reduced overdoses and homicides, but these positive reforms face backlash from ideologues | City Journal, USA