A global study spanning three decades shows that tens of thousands of young people still die from alcohol every year. Progress has been made. But the gap between rich and poor nations keeps growing. More than 417,000 youth drinking deaths were recorded between 1990 and 2021. That figure comes from a major new study in...
This week, young people from around the world are gathering at the United Nations headquarters in New York for the ECOSOC Youth Forum 2026. Running from 14 to 16 April 2026, the Forum brings together youth leaders, policymakers, and civil society representatives to accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals. On the final day, there...
The Italian Village Behind a Unique Drug Rehabilitation Community Nestled across 700 acres of rolling hills in Italy’s Emilia Romagna region, San Patrignano does not look like any drug rehabilitation community you might expect. Bakeries, vineyards, a winery, a hospital, hand-weaving workshops and a cheese-making operation all sit within its grounds. Residents move between these...
The Pill That Outlasted a Revolution Bashar al-Assad fled Syria in late 2024. Many hoped his departure would end one of the world’s most brazen state-sponsored drug operations. Eighteen months on, the reality is far messier. Syria’s Captagon drug threat has not disappeared. It has fragmented, adapted, and grown more dangerous than before. Captagon is...
Japan overhauled its tax system on 1 April 2026. A tobacco tax hike in Japan and a new corporate surcharge both took effect that day. These are the first in a series of levies meant to bankroll the country’s most ambitious defence expansion in decades. The changes mark a turning point. Japan has long resisted...
The World Youth Report 2025 consulted nearly 3,000 young people across 137 countries, and what they shared paints a sobering picture. One in seven young people aged 10 to 19 lives with a diagnosable mental health condition. Building resilience in young people sits at the heart of the report’s findings, and the message is consistent...
When someone decides to seek help for addiction, one question tends to surface almost immediately: what will it cost? Rehabilitation treatment costs vary widely around the world, and doing a proper rehab cost comparison before committing to a programme can make a real difference. A 28-day residential stay in the United States may exceed $60,000....
Every year, alcohol kills nearly three million people worldwide, causing more than 200 diseases and injuries. Yet despite that staggering toll, big alcohol in the Global South is not retreating. The world’s largest alcohol corporations are pushing forward, pouring billions into Africa, Asia, and Latin America, targeting regions where regulation is weak and populations are...
Pick up a can labelled “alcohol-free” in a supermarket in London and you might reasonably assume it contains no meaningful amount of alcohol. Yet alcohol-free drink regulations tell a very different story across borders. Buy the same style of product in parts of Australia and you could be consuming up to 1.15% alcohol by volume...
The UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs Convenes Its 69th Session Vienna, Austria, 12 March 2026. The Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) has wrapped up a pivotal 69th session in Vienna. Sharp debate defined the week, covering the future of international drug control and the formal launch of a new Expert Panel. That Panel will shape...