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Weekly news - 1st August 2025 |
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In date order, Monday to Friday
Health board warning as lethal opioids infiltrate market
NHS Ayrshire and Arran’s public health department has urged drug users to "be cautious" | Herald, UK
Contaminated cocaine warning as A&E admissions rise
Health bodies on the Isle of Man have raised the alarm about a "contaminated or high-potency" batch of cocaine after a spike in hospital admissions. The alert follows a significant increase in the number of people attending the emergency department at Noble's Hospital, Public Health Isle of Man said | BBC, UK
'Shocking' link between drug use and domestic abuse
More than 75% of those arrested for violent offences against women and girls in Dorset had cocaine or heroin in their system – a pilot project has found | BBC, UK
These medications could save thousands of lives – but doctors aren’t prescribing them
While it was once hoped that cytisine would become the ‘aspirin of smoking cessation drugs’, it is shockingly underused | Independent, UK
Life changing scheme rolls out across the West Midlands
A new scheme to stop crime and save lives is being rolled out across the West Midlands. Offending 2 Recovery aims to stop crime, end addiction and transform lives. Its focus is on drug users who fund their addiction by stealing from shops. It is one of the key elements in our work to make town centres safer this summer and beyond | West Midlands Police, UK
A systematic review of reviews on comprehensive community initiatives to prevent or reduce alcohol and other drug harms
Comprehensive community initiatives (CCI) aimed at reducing or preventing alcohol or other drug harms incorporate multiple initiatives delivered to whole communities to effect community-level change. CCIs have gained in popularity and have been subject to extensive research; however, CCIs comprise multiple initiatives and evidence for effectiveness by substance type has been mixed. This umbrella review aimed to synthesise published information to describe the combination of CCIs with the most consistent evidence for impact for each substance type | Addiction, UK
Nitazenes: Overdoses
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to develop a new drugs strategy in the light of the increase in nitazene-related overdoses and deaths in the UK | They work for you, UK
What we’ve learned in ten years about county lines drug dealing
A decade ago, the National Crime Agency identified a new drug supply method. Before then, drug supply was predominantly between user-dealers – people supplying their social circles to fund their drug use, rather than for commercial gain. In 2015, police outside of London identified a pattern of more frequent arrests of young people and vulnerable adults, implicated in drug supply outside of their local areas. They were also frequently suspected to be associated with members of criminal gangs. Thus, “county lines” was born | Conversation, UK
Open call for evidence- Ketamine harms assessment
The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) is calling for evidence on ketamine use, harms and interventions. This call for evidence closes at
midday on 19 August 2025 | ACMD, UK
Inside Health - Can we reverse rising drug deaths? - audio
Drug-related deaths are at their highest levels in England and Wales since records began 30 years ago. Scotland has had the highest number of drug deaths in Europe for at least seven years. And the UK has even seen opioid-related deaths surpass the number of people dying in road traffic accidents. So today on Inside Health we’re asking, what's the real story behind these numbers? Who is dying of a drug overdose and why - and how can we tackle this issue? | BBC Sounds, UK
Coroner concerned with festival's 'open' drug trade
A coroner has highlighted concerns over an "unchecked, open and free trade" of drugs at a festival after the death of a 22-year-old man. Benjamin Buckfield died after he took MDMA he had bought at Boomtown festival near Winchester in August last year, an inquest found. Coroner Nicholas Walker has called on Boomtown and Hampshire police to take action to prevent more deaths at the event, which starts on Wednesday | BBC, UK
Boardmasters drug warning as thousands set to attend
Sniffer dogs and increased police patrols will be deployed on roads as up to 58,000 people descend on the area for a five-day festival | BBC, UK
Health experts warn alcohol measures ‘are not sufficient’ to stop harm
Leading voices from across the public health, medical and treatment sectors have written to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, to call for an urgent and ambitious strategy to address rising alcohol harm, after key policies on alcohol were reportedly removed from the final version of the NHS 10-Year Plan. The 34 signatories – including clinicians, researchers, treatment specialists, medical royal colleges, and charities – warn that alcohol-related deaths and hospital admissions are continuing to rise, disproportionately impacting the most deprived communities | AHA UK, UK
Introducing: The New Collective Voice Affected Others Group!
Adfam and Collective Voice are excited to announce the launch of a brand-new group, bringing together organisations supporting families affected by substance use and individuals with lived experience, to work together to improve support for affected others | Collective Voice, UK
Prison to Rehab Protocol
The Prison to Rehab Protocol sets out the process for prison based staff, residential rehabilitation providers and individuals on accessing the Prison to Rehab Pathway. The pathway supports individuals leaving prison who would benefit from accessing abstinence based treatment on release | Scottish Government, UK
Extra-strong nicotine pouches packaged like children's sweets
Extra-strong nicotine products designed to appeal to children – including some which have ripped off the logos of popular sweet brands – are being openly sold in shops, BBC Scotland has found | BBC, UK
Health experts urge ban on school materials backed by food, drink and gambling firms
Exclusive: Education secretary told sponsored resources misrepresent evidence about diets, alcohol and betting | Guardian, UK
New European toolkit launched to help eliminate viral hepatitis B and C in prisons
The European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) have jointly produced a European toolkit for the elimination of viral hepatitis in prisons. This new practical online resource, launched ahead of Prisoners’ Justice Day on 10 August, aims to support local efforts to eliminate viral hepatitis in prison settings, in accordance with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal on Good Health and Well-Being | EUDA, Portugal