Category: Policy Updates

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A syringe, a vial of green liquid, and red-and-white capsules in a petri dish on a pink background, illustrating regulation of drug precursor chemicals.
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New UK Regulations Tighten Controls on Drug Precursor Chemicals Ahead of June Deadline

The UK government has tightened controls on drug precursor chemicals, with new legislation taking effect on 29th June 2026. The Controlled Drugs (Drug Precursors) (Amendment and Revocation) Regulations 2026 mark one of the most significant updates to Britain’s drug precursor framework since Brexit. They change how the trade in these chemicals operates across Great Britain...

A close-up view looking down into an open white carton packed tightly with rows of filter cigarettes, illustrating a discussion on the tobacco black market.
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How Australia’s Tobacco Tax Created a Black Market Bigger Than Anyone Expected

For years, Australia held itself up as a global model for anti-smoking policy. Graphic warnings, plain packaging laws, and sky-high cigarette taxes all pointed one way: make smoking too expensive, and people will stop. However, the tobacco black market that grew in response tells a very different story. The ambition was logical. The outcome was...

A close-up of a tiny newborn baby's foot being held gently by an adult's hand in a hospital setting, illustrating the care context surrounding legal policies for drug-exposed newborns.
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New Mexico Supreme Court Upholds Policy of Taking Drug-Exposed Newborns Into Protective Custody

New Mexico’s highest court has backed a state policy that places drug-exposed newborns into protective custody at birth. The ruling deals a significant blow to civil liberties groups and legislators who sought to block the measure. On Monday, the New Mexico Supreme Court unanimously rejected an emergency petition by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)...

A green cannabis leaf overlaid with financial stock market data, columns of numbers, and financial charts, illustrating the economic side of marijuana legalisation effects.
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GOP Congressman Warns Marijuana Legalisation Is Destroying States That Adopted It

A Republican congressman has delivered a stark warning about the marijuana legalisation effects playing out across the United States. He says that people living in states that embraced the reform describe it as the single worst thing that has ever happened to their communities. His words bring fresh urgency to a conversation that many health...

A dark silhouette of a single glass bottle stands against a vibrant green background, serving as a visual metaphor for the alcohol industry responsible drinking narrative.
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How the Alcohol Industry Is Hijacking the Responsible Drinking Conversation

Alcohol industry responsible drinking campaigns have become one of the most effective marketing tools of the past decade. Major drinks brands no longer simply sell products. They want to own the conversation around harm, health guidance, and consumption. With public health budgets stretched thin, they are finding it increasingly easy to do exactly that. This...

An empty wooden stage set up for an official event or press conference, featuring a large executive desk, two leather chairs, a red runner carpet, and two American flags flanking a wall seal, reflecting spaces where decisions on Republican drug policy are shaped.
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How the Trump Administration Is Quietly Rewriting Republican Drug Policy

Republican Drug Policy Is Changing Fast For most of its modern history, the Republican Party stood firmly behind tough drug enforcement. Nixon launched the war on drugs. Reagan made it a defining domestic policy. Opposing drug legalisation was central to Republican identity for decades. Today, that Republican drug policy is being rewritten at speed. The...

A close-up of a person with a despondent expression holding up a single pill over a scattered pile of tablets and a syringe, illustrating the complexities of managing dual disorders.
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Europe Must Act Now to Tackle the Hidden Crisis of Co-occurring Mental Health and Drug Problems

Europe is facing a quiet but serious public health challenge. Millions of people across the continent are living with dual disorders, meaning they experience both a mental health condition and a substance use problem at the same time. A new publication from the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) brings this issue into sharp focus, urging...

A healthcare worker in scrubs uses a digital tablet with the European Union flag blurred in the background, representing collaborative efforts to address drug-related harms in Europe.
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Europe Steps Up Its Response to Drug-Related Harms With New Resources and Expert Collaboration

The European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) is pushing forward on multiple fronts. Its goal is to address drug-related harms in Europe through new guidance, a growing expert network and a packed 2026 schedule of conferences, training and public webinars. The agency’s latest update signals a sharpening commitment to evidence-based, integrated approaches. These approaches aim to...

A young man wearing glasses exhales smoke while holding a cigarette in one hand and a vape device in the other against a solid yellow background, illustrating challenges faced by anti-vaping campaigns.
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Are Anti-Vaping Campaigns Failing Young People? What the Research Reveals

Young people across Australia are seeing anti-vaping campaigns that warn about the dangers of e-cigarettes. Yet many of those campaigns are not actually helping young people change their behaviour. That is the central finding of new research from the University of Queensland, published in the journal Tobacco Control this month. Researcher Jiaxin Li, a PhD...

An open hand lies next to a medical syringe, white pills, and a small plastic bag of white powder on a wooden surface, illustrating the challenges addressed by drug partnerships in England.
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Why Local Drug Partnerships Must Put Prevention First for Communities Across England

Across England, communities are facing the growing challenge of drug-related harm. Behind the headlines, a network of local drug partnerships in England is working to change how these issues get tackled at a grassroots level. A major government process evaluation, published in May 2026, sheds light on how these partnerships operate, what is working, and...