A new doctoral study from Norway shows that treatment outcomes for alcohol use disorder are shaped by who the patient is, including cognitive functioning, personality traits and gender-specific challenges. The findings point to a clear need for more tailored treatment approaches.

NordAN has sent a letter to Alþingi’s Judicial Affairs and Education Committee urging it to reject Bill 479, the proposal that would allow private online alcohol sales in Iceland. The letter comes just after the Reykjanes District Court ruled that the business model used by Smáríkið amounted to unlawful domestic retail under current Icelandic law.

A new Blue Cross campaign on TikTok and Snapchat appears to be influencing attitudes among young people, with 7 in 10 saying they are less likely to use cocaine after seeing it. At the same time, the organization warns that cocaine is being increasingly normalized on social media.

Six months after the NordAN conference in Riga, the Riga+6 online meeting will bring participants back together to review recent developments in alcohol and drug policy, revisit key themes from the original conference, and look ahead to the next NordAN gathering in the Faroe Islands.

Landmark victory in Iceland! Yesterday, the Reykjanes District Court ruled that domestic online alcohol sales by private companies violate the state monopoly. The guilty verdict against the retailer Smáríkið effectively shuts the infamous legal loophole used by private sellers. Prevention organizations, supported by NordAN, are celebrating this decision as a crucial win for public health policy. The political battle now intensifies as Parliament considers pending legislation

Movendi Sweden welcomes the government's proposal for a lobbying transparency register, which is scheduled for formal submission to the Riksdag today, April 7. "This is an issue we have championed for a long time," states President Kristina Sperkova. "A lobbying register is an essential first step to making the power dynamics surrounding political decisions more visible and to exposing the commercial interests that currently exert significant influence over policy.

NordAN’s Open Day in Copenhagen brought together Nordic and Baltic partners to discuss alcohol age limits, youth drinking and local policy action. Presentations from NordAN, WHO Europe, Blue Cross Denmark, Alkohol & Samfund, the Danish Cancer Society, NTAKK and WHO highlighted both the political contest around age limits and the evidence supporting stronger alcohol policy.

A new CAN study shows that almost one in five young men in Sweden who gamble for money either have gambling problems or are at risk of developing them. The survey also points to declining drug use, especially among young adults and women, while alcohol dependence remains most common among young adults.

EHYT has adopted a new strategy for 2026 to 2029 and calls for stable funding for preventive substance use work through earmarked revenues from alcohol, tobacco, nicotine products and gambling.

What started as a popular Labor Party promise to let the beer flow until 6 AM during the World Cup has turned into a controversial policy fight. Critics call the proposal "idiotic" and dangerous. Despite warnings from health ministry experts about increased violence and crime, political leaders have pushed forward. Resistance is coming from unions concerned for worker safety and NGOs like Ly, which argues that "setting children’s safety aside" for a football tournament is a "

At Blå Kors Pensionat in Taastrup, two parliamentary candidates spoke openly with residents about addiction, homelessness and the failures of fragmented support systems. According to Blå Kors Danmark, the debate became highly personal as both politicians shared their own experiences of addiction in family and professional life.

New figures from Denmark’s National Health Profile 2025 show a continued decline in the share of Danes drinking more than 10 units of alcohol per week. But according to Alkohol & Samfund, Denmark still has a very strong alcohol culture, and among young people binge drinking appears to be increasing.

A new debate article from the Drug Policy Centre argues that the idea of an inevitable global shift towards drug legalization does not match reality. Instead, it points to a growing number of countries pursuing a different path, keeping drugs illegal while responding to addiction with treatment, care and more targeted support.

A new report from the Alcohol and Society research series finds that more than half of all alcohol consumption takes place in contexts that lead to intoxication. The authors warn that this pattern is not marginal but normalised, and that it drives both acute harms and long-term health risks.

NordAN has submitted comments to the European Commission on Finland’s latest alcohol law reform. The network argues that the proposal is not just a small technical change, but another step in a wider pattern that gradually weakens Alko’s role while Finland still relies on the monopoly’s public health justification.

A long-running dispute over online alcohol sales in Iceland is now moving on two tracks at once. A court case due to be heard on 5 March will test whether the current sales model used by private operators is legal under existing law, while a new bill before Alþingi would change that legal framework by formally allowing licensed online alcohol retail. Together, the two processes could shape the future of Iceland’s alcohol monopoly system.

EHYT calls for the suspension of the current alcohol law proposal, arguing that its preparation has been incomplete, that EU discussions were insufficient, and that the proposed changes could weaken public health and undermine Finland’s retail monopoly system.

NordAN has accepted an invitation to become a collaborating partner of the Barcelona Forum on Drugs 2027. Peter Moilanen and Lauri Beekmann will represent the network on the Advisory Committee.

A new Swedish government inquiry concludes that the retail monopoly and alcohol tax remain central tools for reducing alcohol related harm and protecting public health.

A new report from Folkhälsomyndigheten shows that drug use continues to fall among young people in Sweden, while levels among adults remain stable. Drug-related deaths are decreasing, but drug seizures are rising, pointing to increasing availability.