The fentanyl epidemic has pushed San Francisco’s coroner’s office to breaking point. During a 24-hour span on 8 August 2023, nine people died from drug overdoses, eight of them from fentanyl. Workers collected eight bodies from flats across the city. Someone found one victim on the street across from City Hall. That month, drugs killed...
A Cumbrian charity supporting people battling addiction has raised the alarm over a worrying synthetic drug threat emerging on Britain’s streets. Workers are witnessing a sharp rise in nitazenes, powerful substances that can be up to 500 times stronger than heroin. The Well, based in Cumbria, currently treats around a quarter of its clients specifically...
A landmark study from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) at UNSW Sydney, published on 3 February 2026 in the journal Addiction, reveals a dramatic rise in harms associated with gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB). GHB-related deaths increased tenfold from fewer than six in 2012–13 to 52 in 2021–22. Hospitalisations more than tripled, rising from 5.3...
A disturbing surge in youth alcohol mortality has prompted urgent warnings from medical professionals in Northern Ireland. The release of stark new statistics paints a deeply worrying picture. The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra) revealed that deaths caused exclusively by alcohol have increased by 81% over the past decade. There were 397 registered...
A routine probation search arrests operation in Smithville has led to serious criminal charges. Officers discovered illegal firearms and controlled substances at a residential property during the compliance check. On 5th February, law enforcement officials carried out probation search arrests at a residence on Blackburn Drive. The operation resulted in two people facing multiple charges....
During COVID-19 lockdowns, Australian governments made a catastrophic decision. They “eased” liquor licensing laws as supposed temporary economic relief. The alcohol industry seized the opportunity and never let go. Online alcohol sales exploded 400% between 2012 and 2022. The industry now turns over $2 billion annually. Every Australian carries a bottle shop in their pocket....
Alcohol deaths in Northern Ireland have reached an unprecedented crisis point. New figures reveal alcohol-specific deaths have hit their highest level in two decades. Record Number of Alcohol Deaths in Northern Ireland The NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) released data this week showing 397 people lost their lives due to alcohol consumption in 2024....
Hundreds of people may have died from nitazenes without anyone knowing. These synthetic opioids are up to 500 times stronger than heroin. New research from King’s College London suggests we’re missing up to a third of nitazene deaths. The scale of this crisis could be far worse than official figures show. Clinical Toxicology published the...
New research published in Tobacco Control reveals a troubling trend. The legalisation of cannabis in the United States has coincided with a significant increase in cannabis and tobacco co-use among adults. Meanwhile, sole tobacco consumption has declined. The study analysed health data from 854,878 Americans across 38 states between 2016 and 2023. Results showed that...
Better Public Health practitioners have been not only a little surprised at the recent disclosure, but most certainly validated in their decade-long challenge of the ‘Vote for medicine’s all but non-existent regulatory framework. In a stunning reversal that marks a significant shift in mainstream media perspective, The New York Times editorial board published a piece...