JANUARY

The latest OHID figures show a 10 per cent increase in the number of young people in contact with drug and alcohol services . At just under 12,500 , however , the figure is still lower than the pre-COVID total of 14,291 . Meanwhile , Britain ’ s first regular drug-checking service opens its doors in Bristol – licensed by the Home Office , financed by the local council , and operated by the Loop and BDP .

FEBRUARY

‘ Fifty per cent of our heroin users will not die from heroin , but 50 per cent of smokers will die because they smoke ,’ GSTHR ’ s David MacKintosh tells DDN , as he stresses the huge potential for tobacco harm reduction in drug and alcohol services . GPs are failing to warn patients of the dependence risk of prescription drugs like opioids , benzodiazepines and gabapentinoids , says an NIHRfunded study , while the Public Accounts Committee warns that

the drug strategy ’ s ambitions won ’ t be achieved without funding certainty .

MARCH

The number of people sleeping rough in England is up by a quarter – and by 120 per cent since 2010 – but the figures are still a likely underestimate of the real total , charities warn . Executions for drug-related offences are up more than 40 per cent in a year , according to the latest analysis by HRI , while EMCDDA states that ‘ extreme drug-related violence ’ is taking its toll on Europe , with proliferating drug gangs having a ‘ corrosive effect on the fabric of society ’.

APRIL

After the government bans 14 nitazenes in the previous month , a report from King ’ s College London states that the potent non-opioid xylazine is also now established in the UK ’ s drug market – and ‘ not limited to heroin supplies ’. Given that the crisis with

nitazenes and other synthetic drugs was entirely foreseeable it ’ s ‘ unforgivable that we ’ re so badly prepared ’, Kevin Flemen tells DDN . And as the Scottish Parliament votes to continue with MUP and increase it to 65p , the UK ’ s alcohol-specific death toll hits an all-time high , at more than 10,000 .

MAY

OHID and NHS England launch a ten-year workforce plan , including new addiction psychiatry posts and training curricula for drug and alcohol workers and peer support staff . As the UK government tries to contain an ever-growing crisis by banning six more synthetic opioids , there ’ s a rare note of optimism from across the Atlantic as the US records a slight fall in its ‘ staggeringly high ’ drug-death statistics .

JUNE

Six of the seven new synthetic opioids reported for the first time in Europe are nitazenes , EMCDDA reports , while the

UNODC ’ s World drug report warns that the drugs are ‘ increasingly posing major health risks ’. Meanwhile , 2m of the world ’ s 2.6m annual alcoholrelated deaths are among men , says WHO .

JULY

Following its election win , the newly installed Labour government includes the tobacco and vapes bill in the King ’ s Speech after it was abruptly shelved by the outgoing administration , and – unsurprisingly – nitazenes and other synthetic drugs are among the topics discussed at ‘ Stronger Together ’, the 16th annual DDN conference . ‘ When I first joined Turning Point there was a series of overdoses from something we called ‘ iso ’ – because nobody could pronounce isotonitazene – and naively we thought it had gone away ,’ Deb Hussy tells delegates . Now , however , nitazenes were ‘ being found in everything – they ’ re crossing genres ’.