EURAD

21/08/2026

Cannabis hyperemesis syndrom - persistent vomiting related to cannabis use - was once regarded as a relatively rare condition.

However, as awareness has increased and the use of high potency cannabis has soared, the number of cases are spiking.

New data from the CDC show that there were close to 200.000 cases from January 2023 to May 2026

This report describes emergency department visits involving cannabis hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) after implementing a CHS diagnosis code.

21/08/2026

Cannabis use disorder is increasing in the US, according to new data.

9,3 percent of men and 5,6 percent of women over 18 in the US report Cannabis Use Disorder, the most recent studies find (up from 7,3 percent and 4,5 percent, respectively).

There was also an increase in moderate-to-severe cannabis use disorder, from 3,1 to 4,1 percent among men, and from 1,7 to 2,5 percent among women.

This increase parallels an increase in past year cannabis use from 22,2 to 25,7 percent in the four year period.

The reasearchers also looked at Cannabis Use Disorder in the group of past year cannabis users (excluding all non-users). They found that among men, the share with CUD had increased from 32,9 to 36,2 percent. Among the youngest age group (18-20 years) 50 percent of past year users reported Cannabis Use Disorder.

Similar trends - though at lower levels - could be seen among women. Past year use increased from 17,7 percent to 21,2 percent in the four year period, while CUD increased from 4,5 to 5,6 percent.

During the same period Alcohol Use Disorder remained relatively stable or declined in some groups.

Among young adults (18-20 years), Cannabis Use Disorder is now more common than Alcohol Use Disorder, despite higher prevalence of alcohol use. A majority of young adults with Cannabis Use Disorder presented with moderate to severe CUD, whereas most young adults who presented with Alcohol Use Disorder had mild symptoms.

This cross-sectional study investigates age- and sex-specific trends in the prevalence and severity of alcohol and cannabis use disorders among US adults.

06/08/2026

Cannabis poisoning in children in the US has increased sharply after legalization.

In many cases, the effects wear off without need for medical interventions, but doctors observe serious consequences, including paranoia, vomiting, seizures, breathing problems and even life threatening harms.

Even after the symptoms wear off, mental health effects may persist.

Although the increase in cases is most pronounced in children, there is also an increase among the elderly population.

Experts ascribe the increase partly to increased availability, partly to increased potency of the products, and partly to the product design, with many products resembling candy.

As products like w**d gummies proliferate, more children and teens are suffering symptoms including seizures and life-threatening breathing problems.

05/08/2026

Italy passes a law that will allow more than 10.000 prison inmates with substance use disorders to serve their sentence at home if they seek treatment:

Italy's new law allows thousands of addicted inmates to serve sentences at home in rehab, aiming to ease overcrowded prisons. Impact and reforms explained.

05/08/2026

Many of the cities that pioneered a harm reduction approach to drug policy, have later changed course.

While harm reduction policies are said to be evidence-based and life-saving interventions, drug related harms continued to increase despite the expansion of harm reduction measures.

The challenge is not individual harm reduction measures, but the harm reduction approach to drug policy which “forgot that the goal was to try and stop people from getting addicted,” as one of the interviewees in the article says. “Harm reduction gets people in trouble when it stops being one part of a holistic strategy and it becomes an ideological movement.”

Policies that gave addicts clean needles and places to use drugs were intended to reduce harm. They created a “zombie apocalypse.”

04/08/2026

The number of daily cannabis users in the US now surpasses the number of daily cigarette smokers, according to new data from the annual NSDUH study.

For the first time on record, more Americans use ma*****na daily or almost daily (21.4 million) than smoke ci******es daily (19.9 million) or drink alcohol daily or almost daily (17.2 million), according to the 2025 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, released this week by the Substance Abuse an

03/07/2026

Football has long been an important advertising vehicle for the alcohol industry.

The Dutch cannabis industry is following suit with specially branded pre-rolls for the World Cup:

Company’s WK activation deepens coffeeshop partner engagement across the Netherlands Tangerine cultivar and custom orange branding reflect Dutch football...

03/07/2026

This week, the US Drug Enforcement Authority is conducting hearings on the rescheduling of cannabis.

One of the key quetstions is if cannabis can be said to have recognized medical effects. One of the most frequently cited reasons for using "medical cannabis" use is pain. However, the evidence for effectiveness is sparse.

A new article in the Journal of Addiction Medicine summarizes the findings:

"Currently, the body of clinical research taken together does not support the use of cannabis in any dosage form for treating any pain, particularly given the potential adverse effects. "

Currently, the body of clinical research taken together does not support the use of cannabis in any dosage form for treating any pain, particularly given the potential adverse effects.

29/06/2026

On Friday, the UNODC - United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime published the World Drug Report.

Executive Director, Monica Juma, highlighted the appearance of new, and sometimes more potent, drugs on the market.

Estimates suggest that 331 million people used an illicit drug in 2024 - or 6.2 per cent of the global population (15-64 yrs). This is an increase from 5.2 per cent in 2014. The vast majority of these used cannabis (256 million), while comparatively few used opioids (63 mill), amphetamines (32 mill) and co***ne (25 million).

Global cannabis use has increased from 3,8 per cent in 2014 to 4,8 per cent in 2024. Shifting attitudes and legislation on cannabis drive the increase in cannabis use, according to UNODC.

The reduction in he**in production in Afghanistan has disrupted the opioid market. There are signs of increasing production in other lands, but also a possible shift to synthetic opioids.

Co***ne production has continued to increase and quadrupled over the past decade.

https://unis.unvienna.org/unis/en/pressrels/2026/unisnar1506.html

19/06/2026

New EUDA report on addressing the recruitment of young people into criminal networks.

The report highlights the complex individual and social factors behind recruitment of young people to organized crime and points to "family- and school-based support to community mobilisation, digital prevention and targeted disruption of criminal networks" as potential strategy to address the problem:

Explore the most recent data on the drug situation in Europe provided by the EU Member States. These datasets underpin the analysis presented in the agency's work. Most data may be viewed interactively on screen and downloaded in Excel format.