Home | Archive | Weekly | Reports
Weekly news - 20th March 2026 |
 |
In date order, Monday to Friday
Ketamine should be a Class A drug, says ex-addict
A former drug addict said that ketamine should be a Class A drug as data revealed the number of people being treated in Suffolk for using it has risen by 251% since 2022 | BBC, UK
From heroin to ketamine: How Suffolk's drug use is changing
Drug consumption habits in Suffolk are shifting, with people moving away from opiates such as heroin and towards cocaine, ketamine and crack – and a new report warns the county is also facing a growing threat from synthetic opioids 500 times stronger than heroin | Ipswich, UK
Exploring the potential consequences of the disposable vape ban in the UK: A qualitative study with young adults who use disposable vapes
When the United Kingdom government announced a disposable vapes ban from the 1st June 2025 in response to a rise in youth vaping, it was not clear how it would impact adults in the UK who used disposable vapes. In this study, we recruited and interviewed 22 young adults residing in the UK who regularly used disposable vapes and self-reported either: having never smoked cigarettes, having previously smoked, or currently smoking | PLOS Global Health, UK
Mind the Gap: Exploring Social Inequalities in Alcohol Consumption using Nationally Representative Data from the 2019 and 2021 Health Survey for England
Alcohol-related health inequalities remain a major public health challenge, with those from more disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds experiencing the greatest burden of harm despite consuming similar or lower levels of alcohol. Yet, most research has relied on single or composite measures of socioeconomic status that do not capture the overlapping dimensions of advantage and disadvantage that shape people’s lives and can be difficult for policymakers to interpret. We used a person-centred approach | BMC Public Health, UK
‘Deeply alarming’: Number of deaths related to alcohol climbs 80 per cent in 10 years
There were almost 400 such deaths in 2024, the most recent year for which official statistics are available | Belfast Telegraph, UK
Deadly nitazene drug ‘more dangerous than heroin’ being sold on app popular with teenagers
Thousands of people are using an app popular with teens to buy a killer drug more dangerous than heroin which is responsible for rising deaths in Britain | Metro, UK
Bromazolam Tablet Quantification and Analysis of Post-Mortem Cases From the National Programme on Substance Use Mortality (NPSUM)
Bromazolam is a new psychoactive substance (NPS) benzodiazepine commonly identified by drug checking services and in post-mortem toxicological analyses in the United Kingdom, Europe, and North America. At the time of writing, there are no studies that present quantitative analyses of bromazolam in street tablets. Here we describe the first quantitative analysis of bromazolam tablets, from samples submitted by UK drug checking services and police forces between 2022 and 2025 | Drug Testing and Analysis, UK
Busted star thanks McFly for fundraising efforts for addiction project
Musician Matt Willis said his new series exploring addiction and recovery aims to tackle the "stigma" addicts face in "getting back into the workplace". In the three-part documentary, the Busted star, who has spoken openly about his own battles with addiction, will set up a business in south Wales, employing people in "various stages" of addiction recovery | BBC, UK
Edinburgh drug consumption room could open next year
A 13-week consultation on the proposals is expected to begin in April, subject to approval from the Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership | BBC, UK
Treat ketamine use as public health threat, say Government advisers
Government advisors have called for more support for healthcare professionals in tackling ketamine-related harms, and a national alert on its public health impact. In an updated review of the evidence, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) concluded that ketamine should remain a class B controlled substance. But the committee expressed concern about the growing use of high-dose ketamine and the long-term harms associated with the drug, particularly for chronic users | Pulse Today, UK
Sobering times: alcohol-free beer added to UK inflation basket
The UK’s increasing sobriety will be recognised from next month in the basket of goods used to calculate inflation after alcohol-free beer was added to a list by the Office for National Statistics totalling 760 items | Guardian, UK
Suspected drug deaths in Scotland: October to December 2025
There were 1,146 suspected drug deaths in 2025. This was 8% (81) more than in 2024 (1,065). After following a downward trend in 2024, the rolling 12-month total of suspected drug deaths has been increasing in 2025 | Scottish Government, UK
Evaluation of the National Mission on Drug Deaths: feasibility and added value of an ongoing national lived experience feedback survey in Scotland
This report presents the findings from stakeholder consultations about the feasibility and added value of establishing an ongoing national lived experience feedback survey in Scotland. In 2024 we ran a national pilot survey of individuals with experience of using drugs, about the support available to them. We published the findings from that pilot survey in July 2025. Between July and October 2025, we spoke to 20 stakeholders about their involvement in developing and carrying out the survey, and their use of the survey findings. This briefing presents the findings from those consultations | Public Health Scotland, UK
Evaluation of the National Mission on Drug Deaths: exploring changes to family support
This publication presents findings from an externally commissioned study on the support available to families of individuals with experience of using drugs. The study explores any changes in the support since 2021, when the National Mission was introduced. The study also explores what family support provision is currently like in Scotland. The study captures the perspective of family members and family support providers | Public Health Scotland, UK
Evaluation of the National Mission on Drug Deaths frontline staff survey
This publication presents findings from a 2025 online survey of staff working in frontline alcohol and drug services in Scotland. This is a short follow-up survey to a longer earlier survey of staff in frontline alcohol and drug services in 2023. This report compares the 2023 and 2025 responses to 12 statements about staff's experience of working in frontline alcohol and drug services | Public Health Scotland, UK
National drug related death database (Scotland)
This release by Public Health Scotland (PHS) presents information from the National Drug-Related Deaths Database (NDRDD) on Drug-Related Deaths (DRDs) registered in Scotland in 2021 and 2022, with trend data from 2012. The report narrative and main points focus on DRDs registered in the most recently reported year, 2022 | Public Health Scotland, UK
Scotland’s Health First: A Manifesto for Tackling NCD Prevention and the Commercial Determinants of Health (PDF)
Scotland’s health is deteriorating. 85% of people believe commercial industries should take greater responsibility for the harm caused by their products.1 We are urging bold but practical steps that the next Parliament can implement in its early years to help reverse this trend and build the foundations of a healthier, more prosperous Scotland | NCD Alliance Scotland, UK
Synthetic opioid linked to 1,000 deaths across the UK in just two-and-a-half years
Synthetic opioids represent the most significant threat in the ongoing battle against illegal drugs, with one specific type, nitazenes, linked to 1,000 deaths across the UK in just two-and-a-half years. This stark warning comes from Graeme Biggar, Director General of the National Crime Agency (NCA) | Independent, UK
'Ketamine made me someone I didn't want to be'
Finley Worthington said he was 18 when he first took the powerful horse tranquiliser drug, and six months later he was using it daily | BBC, UK
Alert issued over surge in suspected drug-related deaths
Health officials have issued an urgent warning following a surge in suspected drug-related deaths in Dumfries and Galloway. Twelve people have died since the end of December - nine of them in Wigtownshire | BBC, UK
Europe’s wastewater tells a new story: sharp drop in MDMA, but ketamine and cocaine climb
The latest findings from the largest European project monitoring illicit drug use through wastewater analysis are released today in Wastewater analysis and drugs — a European multi-city study, published by the Europe-wide SCORE group, in association with the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA). This year’s findings highlight a marked decline in MDMA residues across the participating cities, alongside strong increases in ketamine and cocaine detections | EUDA, Portugal
Pathways between probation and addiction: a follow-up study
This report presents follow-up analysis building on Pathways between probation and addiction treatment in England: report - GOV.UK focusing on people sentenced to community orders (COs) and suspended sentence orders (SSOs) with an Alcohol Treatment Requirement (ATR) or Drug Rehabilitation Requirement (DRR). It examines engagement with alcohol and drug treatment, how engagement relates to reconvictions outcomes, and their characteristics | DHSC, UK
Low and no alcohol availability and sales in small retailers in Great Britain: A geographic longitudinal analysis from 2018 to 2022
[Open access] The United Kingdom Government is committed to reducing alcohol consumption through increasing the availability of alcohol-free and low-alcohol (No/Lo) drinks; however, little is known about whether these products are equally available across different types of neighbourhoods, which may have implications for inequalities in potential health benefits or harms from exposure to No/Lo drinks. This study measured differences in the availability and sales of No/Lo products in small retailers across disparate types of neighbourhoods in Great Britain and over time | Addiction, UK
HSE works with content creators on new youth vaping prevention campaign
The HSE is for the first time working with content creators as it launches a new youth vaping and nicotine prevention campaign. The HSE has said that the campaign has been specifically tailored to target young people and highlight the harmful effects that vaping can have on their mental, physical and oral health | RTe, Ireland