Reports January 2013

How to make drug policy better: key findings from UKDPC research into drug policy governance

This study of drug policy governance (PDF), or how drug policy is made has identified important issues for good governance, where the system seems to be going wrong, and options for improving the way policy is made | UKDPC, UK

Data co-ordination overview of drug misuse 2011 (PDF)

The 2011 Data Co-ordination Overview reports on treated substance misuse in the South East region, which cover the counties of Carlow, Kilkenny, South Tipperary, Waterford and Wexford | Health Service Executive, Ireland

The War on Drugs: Promoting stigma and discrimination (PDF)

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has identified many serious negative "unintended consequences" of the drug war – including the stigma and discrimination faced by a range of populations | Count the Costs, UK

The second European conference on drug supply indicators: conclusions of the
Chairs

The EMCDDA and the European Commission have been asked to prepare a proposal for key indicators for the drug supply area | EMCDDA and European Commission, Brussels

ACMD - Recovery from drug and alcohol dependence: an overview of the evidence (2012)

The ACMD Recovery Committee's first report on factors contributing to recovery from drug or alcohol dependence | Home Office, UK

Work and Pensions Committee: Work Programme Inquiry – DrugScope submission (December 2012) 

The Work and Pension Committee is currently conducting an inquiry into how well the Work Programme is working for different user groups. DrugScope and Homeless Link submitted joint evidence drawing on surveys and consultation with our members | DrugScope, UK

Data co-ordination overview of drug misuse 2011 (PDF)

The 2011 Data Co-ordination Overview reports on treated substance misuse in the South East region, which cover the counties of Carlow, Kilkenny, South Tipperary, Waterford and Wexford | Health Service Executive, Ireland

CDC Report: Binge Drinking is Under-Recognized in Women and Girls

The first Vital Signs health indicators report of 2013 from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention finds that binge drinking is too often not recognized as a women’s health problem| RWJF, USA

FDA issues draft guidance on abuse-deterrent opioids

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today issued a draft guidance document to assist industry in developing new formulations of opioid drugs with abuse-deterrent properties | FDA, USA

New Psychoactive Substances: The Need for Policy Reform (PDF)

The last five years have seen some very significant changes in the international drug markets with a rapid growth in the consumption of “new psychoactive substances” (NPS) by young people in many parts of the world | YouthRISE

Prescription drug misuse remains a top public health concern

Prescription drug misuse is second only to marijuana as the nation’s most prevalent illicit drug problem according to a report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) | SAMSHA, USA

Health Service Executive national service plan 2013 (PDF)

This National Service Plan 2013 (NSP2013) sets out the type and volume of services to be delivered by the Executive in 2013 | Health Service Exceutive, Ireland

All-Party Group launches Report of Inquiry into New Psychoactive Substances ('Legal Highs')

The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Drug Policy Reform launches the Report of its Inquiry into New Psychoactive Substances ('legal highs') - Towards a Safer Drug Policy: Challenges and Opportunites arising from 'Legal Highs' (PDF) | APPG on Drug Policy Reform, UK

Emergency stop

A new report (PDF) analysing the economic and social impact of the Personal Independence Payment regulations | Wearesparticus, UK

In depth: Drugs of dependence - The Role of Medical Professionals

The BMA believes the policy debate on illegal drugs has overlooked the medical perspective for too long and has published a report | BMA, UK

New state-by-state report shows a significant decrease in adolescent smoking in most states during the past decade

Current cigarette smoking among 12- to 17-year-olds fell significantly from 2002 to 2010 in 41 states, according to a report (PDF) by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration | SAMSHA, USA

Public health and alcohol licensing in England

This briefing aims to place health bodies’ new role in alcohol licensing in a strategic context, and to provide guidance to those who will be delivering the responsible authority role | LGA, UK

Alcohol treatment system is performing well but more work is needed to achieve further improvements

The system for treating problem alcohol use amongst adults in England is working well for many people, statistics released today (17 January) by the NTA have shown | NTA, UK

Turning evidence into practice: Helping clients to access and engage with mutual aid

The first in a series of briefings (PDF) to support commissioners and providers who want to improve the recovery orientation of their services | NTA, UK

A personalised approach to prison resettlement: Lessons from a pilot project

This report (PDF) includes analysis of participant outcomes along with the key lessons that emerged in implementing a personalisation service model in the previously untested context of the criminal justice system | Revolving Doors Agency, UK

Alcohol problems in the criminal justice system: an opportunity for intervention

This publication describes an integrated model of care for alcohol problems in prisoners, with elements for best practice | WHO, Switzerland

WHO, UNODC, UNAIDS Technical Guide for countries to set targets for universal access to HIV prevention, treatment and care for injecting drug users - 2012 Revision

This is a revision of the 2009 Technical Guide (PDF), which provides technical guidance to countries on monitoring efforts to prevent and treat HIV infection among people who inject drugs (PWID) | UNODC, USA

The Cost of Troubled Families

This report considers the financial case for local authorities and other local agencies to invest in effective services for troubled families, in order to make savings | Gov.uk, UK

Khat: A review of its potential harms to the individual and communities in the UK (2013)

In October 2010 the Minister Responsible for Drugs asked the ACMD to review khat by considering the available evidence and to advise the government as to the current situation in the UK: the harms caused to individuals and the societal harms in the affected UK's Somali, Yemeni and Ethiopian communities. Download report | ACMD, UK

The silent pandemic: Tackling hepatitis C with policy innovation (PDF)

A report by the Economist Intelligence Unit warns that hepatitis C has become a “silent pandemic” which kills 350,000 people each year | Economist Intelligence Unit, UK

Alcohol problems in the criminal justice system

WHO/Europe has just published Alcohol problems in the criminal justice system: an opportunity for intervention (PDF). This publication describes an integrated model of care for alcohol problems in prisoners, with elements for best practice | WHO, SWitzerland

Placing health and welfare at the heart of drug policy

The Joint UNODC-WHO Programme on Drug Dependence Treatment and Care (PDF) is a milestone in the development of a comprehensive, integrated health-based approach to drug policy that can reduce demand for illicit substances, relieve suffering and decrease drug-related harm to individuals, families, communities and societies | UNODC, USA

Alcohol-related deaths in the United Kingdom, 2011

Statistical bulletin (PDF) covering alcohol-related deaths in the United Kingdom, England and Wales, and Regions of England | ONS, UK

Stronger Together: How health and wellbeing boards can work effectively with local providers

A report (PDF) says that the new health and well-being boards should take advantage of the experience and connections of established providers of health and care-related services...if they wanted to be successful at improving the health outcomes of their communities | NHS Confederation, UK

ASH briefing on e-cigarettes (PDF)

Electronic cigarettes are marketed as alternative nicotine delivery devices for people to use in places where smoking is not permitted since they do not produce smoke. Preliminary tests suggest that they are relatively harmless in comparison with smoking. There are, however, a number of problems with e-cigarettes | ASH, UK

The drug treatment workforce (PDF)

The first part of this paper identifies three distinct phases of thinking around the drug treatment workforce: phase 1. 2001-2005; phase 2. 2005-2008 and phase 3. 2007- 2013. The second part focuses on four key roles... i) Clinicians; ii) Practitioners; iii) Managers and iv) Peer mentors. Part three looks briefly at how organisations might develop sustainable, ethical, and productive workforce development strategies | Lifeline Project, UK

Public Views on Child Poverty: Results from the first polling undertaken as part of the Measuring Child Poverty consultation (PDF)

As part of a wider consultation, a survey has been undertaken to get an informed
understanding of the views of the public. The first of these took place in
December and the results of this first survey are reported here | Dept for Work and Pensions, UK

EU drug markets report: a strategic analysis

The EU drug markets report is the first comprehensive overview of illicit drug markets in the European Union. It covers issues such as production, consumer markets, trafficking, organised crime and policy responses, along with a review of the markets for heroin, cocaine, cannabis, amphetamine, methamphetamine, ecstasy and new psychoactive substances | EMCDDA, Europol, Portugal