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Weekly news - 21st August 2026 |
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In date order, Monday to Friday
'Potent' spice-laced gummies sold on social media
Experts have found "incredibly high concentrations" of a drug known as spice in illegal cannabis gummies being sold online. The drug-laced gummies, which are made to look like familiar-looking sweet brands in colourful packaging but contain THC, have been seized by Wiltshire Police and are being tested by scientists at the University of Bath. Professor Chris Pudney, from the university, said he was concerned about the amount of spice which could vary widely - even between gummies in the same pack | BBC, UK
Boy who changed law on medicinal cannabis thriving as he turns 21
Turning 21 is a milestone for most. For Charlotte Caldwell, celebrating her son Billy's 21st birthday was something she feared would never happen. Billy Caldwell from Castlederg in County Tyrone has a severe form of epilepsy, which at one point had him suffering hundreds of "life-threatening" seizures a day. After a legal battle, Billy was prescribed a cannabis-based medicine which stopped his seizures | BBC, UK
Young adults are taking prescription drugs instead of alcohol - and it's dividing experts
Around the world, evidence shows that young people are turning to medications and experimental substances as alternatives to alcohol. Some of them come in pill form - like pregabalin and propranolol, the ones Matt takes. And some are injected - like peptides, a type of protein that's becoming increasingly popular online | BBC, UK
Evidence and analysis on impact of drugs consumption room on drug deaths: FOI release
Information requested: 1. Could you supply any internal analysis or analysis seen by the Scottish Government on the impact of the drugs consumption room on drug deaths, from the last six months? 2. Neil Gray said on October 27 that the drugs consumption room has "demonstrably" saved lives - could you provide the evidence to back up this statement? | Scottish Government, UK
A different kind of justice — inside Scotland’s alcohol and drug problem-solving court
Scotland, and indeed Britain as a whole, is amid a penal crisis. Dr Robert McLean, criminal justice lecturer, Education and Social Sciences at the University of the West of Scotland, considers if it's time for an alternative approach | Law Society of Scotland, UK
Cannabis isn’t ‘safer’ in your 20s and 30s – it’s linked to an earlier onset of psychosis
People who use cannabis in their 20s and 30s are developing psychosis years earlier than non-users, according to our new study, published today in the journal Biological Psychiatry. This challenges the idea that delaying cannabis use until your mid-20s – when people believe their brain has finished developing – is a safer option to avoid the risks of psychosis | Conversation, Australia
HSE detects high-risk cannabinoids in vape products sold in Ireland
The HSE has said it has identified high-risk cannabinoids in vapes, vape 'juice' and other products, like edibles, sold in shops and on the illicit market in Ireland. The identification is part of the HSE Drugs Early Warning System, through its National Drug Treatment Centre Laboratory in Dublin | HSE, Ireland
Open consultation: Control of Gamma-Butyrolactone and 1,4-Butanediol
This consultation seeks views on a proposal to tighten controls on the substances Gamma-Butyrolactone (GBL) and 1,4-Butanediol (1,4-BD), which are controlled drugs that also have wide-ranging uses in industry as solvents. This consultation closes at 11:59pm on 11 November 2026 | Home Office, UK
Vapes could lead to health harms in children, doctors warn
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) has reviewed about 81 studies into vaping and said it is linked to higher rates of breathing problems and evidence of harm in babies whose mothers used vapes while pregnant | BBC, UK [See Study here]#
‘Not if, but when’: GSTHR Situation Report 2026 charts growing consumer demand for tobacco harm reduction, despite widening policy gulf (PDF)
The report’s analysis shows that rising use of safer nicotine products (SNP) has coincided with declining smoking prevalence across multiple countries and regions; Exclusive GSTHR estimates suggest that globally, 200 million people now use SNP; SNP use is equivalent to a fifth to a quarter of the global smoking population; Since 2025, the balance of global policy has moved further toward restrictive regulation and safer product bans, while cigarettes remain universally legal | GSTHR, UK
Cannabis, nicotine led US adult substance use trends in 2025
Adults in the United States reported cannabis use at or near record highs in 2025, reflecting a years-long climb.Nicotine vaping also remained high among young adults, according to the latest data from the University of Michigan’s Monitoring the Future Longitudinal Panel study, an annual examination of self-reported drug use in the U.S. among adults ages 19 to 65 supported by the National Institutes of Health | University of Michigan, USA
Hundreds killed or injured by drug drivers
Twenty people have been killed and 180 seriously injured in West Yorkshire in the past five years because of drug driving, according to new figures. The data shared by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) also revealed there had been more than 800 drug driving arrests in the last 12 months alone | BBC, UK