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Weekly news - 30th January 2026 |
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In date order, Monday to Friday
Safer inhalation devices: a rapid Health Impact Assessment of a harm reduction pilot for people who smoke crack cocaine
An assessment by the Welsh public health NHS trust concludes that providing inhalation devices to people who smoke crack “could reduce drug-related harms, improve engagement and provide a non-judgemental and inclusive point of access for individuals who are often excluded from traditional services.” | Harm Reduction Journal, UK
Drug and prison to rehabilitation information: FOI release
Information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. 8 questions were asked including: 1. How many people since 2022 from custody/prison to rehab have completed the 12 weeks programme? 2. How many of those people since 2022 from custody/prison to rehab completed the 12 weeks and are no longer using drugs? and 3. How many people from prison to rehab reoffended within the 12 weeks and were returned to prison? | Scottish Government, UK
No disruption to fan safety in WSL alcohol trials
Trials providing supporters with the option to consume alcohol in the stands at Women's Super League games have received positive feedback on fan safety | BBC, UK
New drug support service welcomed by former addict
The New Start Drug and Alcohol Treatment Centre on Whitby Street in Hartlepool replaces a "not fit for purpose" facility which was used by some 1,400 people in 2025, Hartlepool Borough Council said | BBC, UK
Councillors may have to take random drug tests
The leader of a council will consider introducing random drug testing for councillors. Jeremy Newmark from Hertsmere Borough Council in Hertfordshire made the comment in a response to a written question from his Labour Party colleague Linda Smith | BBC, UK
New study: Some crimes increased, others decreased around Toronto supervised consumption sites
Between 2020 and 2025, 48 overdose prevention and supervised consumption sites operated in Canada. While studies show they can reduce mortality and health service use for people who use drugs, they are controversial | Conversation, Canada
Scores of children treated for drug and alcohol use
Some 270 pupils have been suspended or excluded from Norfolk schools for taking drugs in the past year, according to findings by the BBC Shared Data Unit. In total, 259 pupils – including two primary school children – were suspended for using illicit substances, while 11 secondary school children were excluded. The figures from an investigation into drug use also found that 120 Norfolk youngsters accessed treatment for drugs and alcohol last year, with nearly half of them aged under 16 | BBC, UK
Ten arrested over suspected drug overdoses
Four people were found unresponsive in the East Marsh area of Grimsby after they were believed to have overdosed on suspected heroin and a synthetic amphetamine, the force added | BBC, UK
Price a bigger factor than health when drinking less, study claims
Price is a more significant influence than health and wellbeing among consumers who are cutting back on their alcohol consumption, new research from MMR Research shows. The consumer research agency said that 39% of consumers are limiting their alcohol intake due to affordability, compared with just 22% who say they’re doing so to support health and fitness goals and 14% who want to be more mindful | Drinks Retailing, UK
Rapid Action Drug Alerts and Response (RADAR) quarterly report
Drug-related harms remained high between September and November 2025. Although naloxone administrations fell compared to the previous quarter, they were 22% higher than in the same period in 2024. Most harms involved multiple drugs, reflecting continued polysubstance use. Significant market changes were also observed: clonazolam was the most common street benzodiazepine, detections of nitazene-type opioids in deaths reached their highest level to date, and cocaine remained the most frequently reported drug across treatment and toxicology data | Pubic Health Scotland, UK
Drug and alcohol information system (DAISy)
This annual release reports on people presenting for initial assessment at specialist drug and alcohol treatment services in Scotland provided by Alcohol and Drug Partnerships in 2024/25. For the first time this release also includes information on treatment outcomes. Across Scotland, assessment completeness was 67% in 2024/25. Initial assessments for 17,578 people accessing specialist alcohol and/or drug treatment were recorded on DAISy | Public Health Scotland, UK
Alcohol related hospital statistics
This annual release provides statistics relating to inpatient or day case admissions that occur within NHS Scotland hospitals where the patient was recorded as having at least one condition that can be wholly attributed to alcohol. In 2024/25 there were 29,430 hospital admissions for conditions wholly attributable to alcohol in Scotland. The majority of these admissions (92%) were treated in general acute hospitals (27,126) with the remaining 8% occurring in psychiatric hospitals (2,304) | Public Health Scotland, UK
The role of vaping in smoking cessation - an addendum to the 'Guide to smoking cessation in Scotland (2017)'
This document provides additional guidance to the existing Smoking Cessation Service Specification, reflecting new products and smoking cessation aids | Public Health Scotland, UK
Urgent warning issued after drugs overdoses
It comes after reports of emergency services responding to four unresponsive people, believed to have overdosed, at the weekend. Geoff Barnes, deputy director of public health for northern Lincolnshire, said "some harmful drugs" were circulating in the Grimsby area | BBC, UK
Three unexplained drug deaths probed by police
One of three men who died after taking drugs in Lancashire may have taken a contaminated batch of heroin, police have said. The men, two aged in their 30s and 40s from Morecambe and a man in his 50s from Carnforth, died on separate occasions earlier this month but "over a relatively short space of time", Lancashire Police said | BBC, UK
Ketamine rise among young people sparks raids
A police force says it has seen a rise in the use of the drug ketamine in young people, with some becoming seriously ill. Cumbria Police said those taking the Class B drug were suffering with bladder function problems and kidney issues | BBC, UK
ACMD announces decision on the classification of ketamine
The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) has published its updated harms assessment of ketamine. The ACMD has advised the government ketamine should remain a class B controlled substance, but that police forces and health care professionals must receive greater support to better identify, prevent and respond to ketamine related harms | ACMD, UK
Ketamine: an updated review of use and harms
Following a 2025 government commission, the ACMD has carried out a review of the use and harms of ketamine | ACMD, UK
Health Survey for England, 2024
Key findings include: 1) Prevalence of current cigarette smoking among adults continued to decline, from 27% in 1993 to 11% in 2024. 2) Current e-cigarette use among adults aged 16 and over was 10% in 2024, this is similar to 2022 (9%). These figures represent an increase from earlier years, between 2016 and 2019 6% of adults regularly used e-cigarettes. 3) 77% of adults had drunk alcohol in the last 12 months. and 4) A higher proportion of men than women had drunk alcohol in the last week (50% of men and 38% of women). Men (27%) were also more likely than women (15%) to drink at levels that put them at increasing or higher risk of alcohol-related harm (over 14 units per week) | NHS England, UK
Growing number of adults avoid booze, says NHS survey
The latest data from the Health Survey for England for 2024 suggests 24% of adults said they haven't drunk alcohol in the previous year. But far fewer older people abstain from alcohol and those who do drink, are likely to do so at more dangerous levels | BBC, UK
Scratching the surface – what factors underpin public support for public health policies? (PDF)
This analysis of polling explores the factors that underpin public support for particular public health policies across tobacco, alcohol and food. The poll demonstrated that the public are concerned about the impact that tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy food and drink are having on the nation’s health and the NHS. It also revealed a distrust of big business and a desire for the government to do more to protect people from business practices that ultimately harm health | ASH, AHA, OHA, UK
THRIVE Impact Report 2024-2025
Our THRIVE Impact Report 2024-2025 offers a detailed look at our work over the past year and the impact we've had in Redcar and Cleveland. THRIVE is England's first integrated Domestic Abuse and Substance Use (IDAS) partnership | WithYou, UK
Legislating novel psychoactive substances: lessons from 15 years of UK mortality data (2007-2022)
Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS) emerged in the early 2000s as chemically designed alternatives to circumvent laws which internationally control drugs. There is limited evidence that NPS are produced in the UK, whereas China has long been recognised as a primary source of NPS. This study aimed to evaluate the relative impact of UK, Chinese, and UN legislative controls on the availability of NPS in the UK, as evidenced by post-mortem detections of NPS in deaths | Frontiers in Pharmacology, UK
Now you see it, now you don’t: How alcohol industry interference made marketing restrictions disappear from the 10 Year Health Plan in England
In July 2025, the UK Government published its 10 Year Health Plan for England. Despite a media leak and subsequent Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) statement indicating that the Plan would contain alcohol marketing restrictions, these did not appear in the final document. We were keen to understand to what degree the removal of marketing restrictions from the 10 Year Health Plan might have been a result of commercial influence | IAS, UK
Impact and barriers: a national survey of UK adults on alcohol dependence
The United Kingdom’s approach to alcohol harm has long been shaped by assumptions that no longer align with empirical reality. We have designed services for people who self-identify as “problem drinkers”, commissioned awareness campaigns to address an information deficit, and targeted interventions toward specific demographics or geographic areas. This white paper demonstrates, through nationally representative data, that all three assumptions are fundamentally flawed | Clean Slate Clinic, Adfam, University of Sussex, UK
These could be the worst vape flavours for your health, according to science
The dangers of vaping is a new science but studies have shown that certain flavours of vape are worse for you than others | BBC Science Focus, UK
No more drunken sailors? Navy to restrict alcohol in health kick on ships
Sailors will be restricted to 14 units each week and must fill in a form to show what drinks they have consumed | Independent, UK
2026 Police Guidance on Medicinal Cannabis in the UK: Progress, Limits, and What Comes Next
For the first time since cannabis-based products for medicinal use were legalised in 2018, police officers across England and Wales now have a shared set of principles to guide interactions with patients who are lawfully prescribed these treatments | Drug Science, UK