Cocaine-related deaths have risen from 6% of all drug deaths in 2008 to 41% in 2023 – but Scotland’s drug services remain primarily configured for opioid dependency, with methadone and buprenorphine protocols dominating commissioning priorities, Dr David McCartney highlighted. Public…
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How can Scotland reduce drug and alcohol deaths?
This 40-page Scottish Health Equity Research Unit survey on Poverty, Prevention and Fairness: Public attitudes towards health inequality and the social determinants of health in the Scottish Social Attitudes Survey asked about reducing deaths in Scotland from drugs and alcohol. The responses…
Ireland: harm reduction in context
“Compassion for some cannot become a risk to all: Ireland’s modern drug policy has evolved to save lives, but society cannot ignore the real-world consequences of drug-related violence and harm to others,” The Journal headlined. “We must, as a society, be…
California needs accountability system for addiction treatment
Assembly Bill 2343, moving through the California Legislature, would require non-Medi-Cal treatment facilities to participate in a public quality rating system as a condition of their license, administered by the State Department of Health Care Services. The administrator of that…
Marijuana linked to higher OUD risk
More evidence that marijuana is a gateway drug: Washington University School of Medicine found that people who began using marijuana before age 15 were 1.6-4.2 times more likely to have had an opioid use disorder in the past year and…
What is new drug cychlorphine?
A newly emerging synthetic opioid known as N-Propionitrile Chlorphine, or cychlorphine, appeared in toxicology findings in 41 recent deaths, the Knox County Regional Forensic Center said. The deaths occurred from July 2025 to February 2026 across 11 counties – as 5…
Political peer pressure and weed
“Neighbor state peer pressure is a terrible reason to legalize weed in Indiana,” The Federalist headlined. Governor Braun described himself as “kind of agnostic” on medical marijuana but agnosticism is not a governing philosophy when it comes to a substance…
Australia: alcohol and cancer burden
The University of Sydney published Alcohol-attributable cancer risk and burden estimates for Australia’s updated alcohol consumption guidelines, concluding that an estimated 7,804 cancer cases (4.6% of all cancer cases) were attributable to alcohol use in 2024. This is higher than previously estimated.
Reminder: SSA bursaries
The Society for the Study of Addiction is offering funding for postgraduate study and professional development in the field of addiction. Apply for a research leadership bursary or treatment workforce bursary for courses starting Autumn 2026. There is no deadline;…
