Reports: October |
WHO tobacco trends report: 1 in 5 adults still addicted to tobacco
The world is smoking less, but the tobacco epidemic is far from over. A new WHO global report shows the number of tobacco users has dropped from 1.38 billion in 2000 to 1.2 billion in 2024. Since 2010, the number of people using tobacco has dropped by 120 million – a 27% drop in relative terms. Yet, tobacco still hooks one in five adults worldwide, fuelling millions of preventable deaths every year | WHO, Switzerland
Pulse Report: Alcohol Advertising
This report presents the findings of a major ASA trial exploring how artificial intelligence (AI) can strengthen the regulation of online advertising. Using our in-house Active Ad Monitoring system, we analysed nearly 6,000 paid-for alcohol-related ads served to UK audiences in early 2025, across social media, search and display. Overall compliance was very strong. Around 96% of ads were likely to meet the rules, with just 1–3% appearing to break them and a small proportion requiring further review | ASA, UK
Understanding the reasons behind an apparent reduction in the number of people accessing specialist alcohol and drugs treatment in Scotland
Public Health Scotland has investigated an observed reduction in the number of people accessing specialist alcohol and drug treatment services across Scotland through a three-phase programme of work | Public Health Scotland, UK
Alcohol consumption and harms dashboard
This release by Public Health Scotland (PHS) updates the Alcohol Consumption and Harms Dashboard (ACHD) with new estimates of partially attributable alcohol hospital admissions and partially attributable alcohol mortality statistics for persons aged 16 and over covering the calendar years from 2021 to 2023 | Public Health Scotland, UK
Poorer health linked to more votes for Reform UK in England
These are the findings of a new analysis, led by researchers at Imperial and published today in the journal BMJ Open Respiratory Research, which explore the links between health outcomes and voting patterns during the 2024 general election | Imperial College, UK
Deaths related to drug poisoning in England and Wales: 2024 registrations
Deaths related to drug poisoning in England and Wales from 1993 to 2024, by cause of death, sex, age and substances involved in the death. In England and Wales, 5,565 deaths related to drug poisoning were registered in 2024, the equivalent of 93.9 deaths per million people, and higher than the rate recorded in 2023 (93.0 deaths per million, 5,448 deaths); the age-standardised mortality rate for deaths related to drug poisoning has risen every year since 2012 | ONS, UK
Alcohol-free and low-alcohol drinks in the UK: Trends, barriers, and opportunities
Alcohol-free and low-alcohol drinks are becoming an increasingly visible part of the UK’s drinking landscape. With their growth now recognised in the NHS 10-Year Plan as a component of harm reduction, understanding who uses these products, and why, is vital. This report examines how alcohol-free (0.0–0.05%) and low-alcohol (up to 1.2%) drinks are used for moderation across different groups of drinkers, exploring trends in uptake, motivations and barriers, and what this reveals about shifting drinking cultures in the UK | Drinkaware, UK
ESPAD Report 2024
This report presents the results of the eighth data-collection wave, which took place in 2024, and marks an impressive 30 years of data collection by this long-standing collaboration. More than 113 000 15- to 16-year-old students from 37 countries, including 25 EU Member States, took part. Since 1995, over 800 000 students have contributed, making ESPAD the most extensive harmonised data collection on substance use and risk behaviours in Europe, and the largest cross- national research project on adolescent substance use worldwide | ESPAD, Italy
Amendment to ACMD report – Use and harms of xylazine, medetomidine and detomidine: 21 October 2025
A summary of a further review by the ACMD's xylazine, medetomidine and detomidine working group on the potential for increased use and harms of medetomidine and detomidine, together with the ACMD’s recommendations in light of these findings | ACMD, UK
Sixth addendum to ACMD report on the use and harms of 2-benzyl benzimidazole (‘nitazene’) and piperidine benzimidazolone (‘brorphine-like’) opioids, 21 October 2025
The ACMD has continued to monitor and assess detections of newly identified nitazenes that fall outside the scope of current generic control. On 8 November 2024, the ACMD published its fifth addendum to the advice on 2-benzyl benzimidazole (nitazene) and piperidine benzimidazolone (‘brorphine-like’) opioids. Since then, the ACMD has been alerted to the detection of new 2-benzyl benzimidazole compounds: Ethylene etonitazene and Ethylene isotonitazepyne (N-pyrrolidino ethylene isotonitazene) | ACMD, UK
NHS Stop Smoking Services Scotland
In 2024/25 the number of attempts to stop smoking made with the help of NHS smoking cessation services increased to 31,095, a 2.6% increase from 2023/24 (30,317). While there was an increase in 2024/25, the overall trend for Scotland shows a reduction in the number of quit attempts since 2015/16 of 52% from 64,721 | Public Health Scotland, UK
Killer Tactics 2 (PDF)
How the tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy food and drink industries have used their killer tactics to undermine important public health policies since Labour have been in power | ASH, AHA, OHA, UK
Scottish Health Survey
This report presents results for the Scottish Health Survey 2024, providing information on the health and factors relating to health of people living in Scotland. Included are chapters on both alcohol and smoking | Scottish Government, UK
Rapid Action Drug Alerts and Response (RADAR) quarterly report
Drug-related harms were higher between June and August 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, but lower than in 2023. Most harms involved multiple drugs, reflecting continued polysubstance use. Significant market shifts were observed: detections of nitazene-type opioids in deaths reached their highest level to date; cocaine was the most frequently reported drug across treatment and toxicology data; and a new street benzodiazepine, ethylbromazolam, emerged | Public Health Scotland, UK
WEDINOS: Philtre April 2024 – March 2025 (PDF)
A total of 8,032 samples have been analysed, revealing 211 distinct psychoactive substances either individually or in combination. For the sixth consecutive year, benzodiazepines remain the most frequently identified group, with 22 different benzodiazepines detected—an increase from 20 in 2021/22. Cocaine was the most commonly detected psychoactive substance overall, strongly influenced by high submissions from the Night Time Economy | WEDINOS, UK
Evaluation of the Scottish Government Residential Rehabilitation programme
A total of 15 Scottish residential rehab providers, covering 19 different Scottish rehab centres, submitted data for the detailed client-level data collection exercise. Detailed client-level data were submitted for 870 individuals for calendar year 2023 | Public Health Scotland, UK
Drug use prevalence in Ireland: Findings from recent population studies and estimates of problematic use (PDF)
Problematic opioid use is a significant problem in Ireland and across the world. However, measuring the prevalence of opioid use is challenging. Given the nature of this population, a simple head count is not feasible and general population surveys are known to be ineffective at capturing this ‘hidden’ population | HRB, Ireland
Thousands with undiagnosed hepatitis and HIV found in A&E testing
The UK Health Security Agency has published its evaluation report of the groundbreaking NHS emergency department (ED) opt-out testing programme – an integrated bloodborne virus (BBV) testing programme for HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C. The evaluation findings show the programme has identified thousands of people living unknowingly with bloodborne viruses, with many now being offered life-saving treatment for the first time | UK HSA and NHS England, UK
Ketamine use is increasing, and so are its harms - Information and advice for educational settings (PDF)
Ketamine use has increased in recent years and so have the related health harms. People now use ketamine in many different contexts, from party settings to self-medication. There are eight times more people going into drug treatment for ketamine use than there were a decade ago. People aged 18-24 have the highest rates of use. Sustained ketamine use can cause painful bladder problems and damage to the urinary tract, leading to incontinence and other complications, some of which can be irreversible. This is an increasing cause for concern among urologists | OHID, UK
Ketamine use is increasing, and so are its harms - Information and advice for local Public Health Teams (PDF)
Ketamine use has increased in recent years and so have the related health harms. People now use ketamine in many different contexts, from party settings to self-medication. There are eight times more people going into drug treatment for ketamine use than there were a decade ago. People aged 18-24 have the highest rates of use. Ketamine can cause painful bladder problems and damage to the urinary tract, leading to incontinence and other complications, some of which can be irreversible. This is an increasing cause for concern among urologists | OHID, UK
'THC vapes' laced with other substances - Information and advice for educational settings (PDF)
So-called 'THC vapes' are becoming popular among young people and are illegally available through online platforms, including social media. THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is the main psychoactive ingredient in the cannabis plant. Possession is always illegal, unless precribed in a medicine by a doctor. Using THC has its own risks, but vapes claiming to contain it often contain more harmful substances, such as synthetic and semi-synthetic cannabinoids, often known as 'Spice.' The effects of synthetic cannabinoids can be very different to those of THC and have contributed to a number of overdoses, and even deaths, in recent years in the UK | OHID, UK
'THC vapes' likely to contain other drugs - Information and advice for local Public Health Teams (PDF)
So-called 'THC vapes' are becoming popular among young people and are illegally available through online platforms, including social media. THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is the main psychoactive ingredient in the cannabis plant. Possession is always illegal, unless precribed in a medicine by a doctor. Using THC has its own risks, but vapes claiming to contain it often contain more harmful substances, such as synthetic and semi-synthetic cannabinoids, often known as 'Spice.' The effects of synthetic cannabinoids can be very different to those of THC and have contributed to a number of overdoses, and even deaths, in recent years in the UK | OHID, UK
High risk of overdose from fake medicines - Information and advice for educational settings (PDF)
Highly potent synthetic opioids have caused a high number of overdose deaths in the UK in recent years. A class of synthetic opioids called nitazines, which are usually more potent than fentanyl, are the most common currently. These substances are appearing in fake pain-relief and other medicines. People are buying these medicines from illicit sources, often online retailers, unaware that they can be adulterated with dangerous substances | OHID, UK
High risk of overdose from fake medicines - Information and advice for local Public Health Teams (PDF)
Highly potent synthetic opioids have caused a high number of overdose deaths in the UK in recent years. A class of synthetic opioids called nitazines, which are usually more potent than fentanyl, are the most common currently. These substances are appearing in fake pain-relief and other medicines. People are buying these medicines from illicit sources, often online, unaware that they can be adulterated with dangerous substances | OHID, UK
Peer Mentoring Evaluation: A report on final research findings
The Peer Mentoring Programme offers one-to-one support from a mentor with lived experience of substance dependency to individuals with a dependency (‘mentees’) to help them to overcome barriers and make progress. Progress can mean different things for different mentees, for example around recovery from dependency, health, wellbeing or the labour market. This report presents findings from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) test of Peer Mentoring for individuals with a substance dependency | DWP, UK
Ambulance staff subjected to violence and harassment on alcohol-related callouts, study finds
The first-of-its-kind study by the University of Stirling reveals anxiety and frustration among ambulance staff and warns that alcohol-related ambulance callouts have knock-on effects on responses to other patients | University of Stirling, UK
Tackling the drugs crisis in our prisons (PDF)
The trade and use of illicit drugs in our prisons has reached endemic levels. There is a prevailing culture of acceptance which tolerates drug use and makes it almost impossible for prisoners to escape the problem or for prisons to deal with it. This is reflected in the fact that 39 per cent of prisoners find it easy to acquire drugs. Our report finds that the endemic level of drugs in our prisons endangers lives and cripples the ability of His Majesty’s Prisons and Probation Service (HMPPS) to maintain control and safety and to rehabilitate effectively | House of Commons Justice Committee, UK