Reports March 2019 |
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Code of Practice on the Naming, Packaging and Promotion of Alcoholic Drinks (PDF)
The Portman Group’s Code of Practice was first introduced in April 1996. This is the sixth edition. It applies to the naming, packaging and promotion of alcoholic drinks and provides a procedural framework for influencing, regulating and controlling industry practice | Portman Group, UK
Drug-related deaths and Deaths due to Drug Misuse in Northern Ireland, 2007-2017
Statistics relating to drug related deaths and deaths due to drug misuse |
Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, UK
Finding a Needle in a Haystack: Take-Home Naloxone in England 2017/18
This report updates Release’s previous reporting on ‘Take-home Naloxone in England: 2016/17’ and presents novel findings on take-home naloxone provision in custodial settings, such as in prisons, across England for the period 2017/18 | Release, UK
Estimating the Prevalence of Problem Drug Use in Scotland, 2015-16 Estimates (PDF)
The number of individuals with problem drug use in Scotland was estimated to be in the range 55,800 to 58,900 during 2015/16. This represents an estimated prevalence rate of approximately 1.62% | ISD Scotland, UK
Local tobacco control profiles for England: March 2019 update
An overview of the extent of tobacco use, tobacco related harm and the measures being taken to reduce this harm at a local level in England | PHE, UK
Smoking Cessation Local Delivery Plan standard quarterly reporting (PDF)
This release by Information Services Division (ISD) presents information on NHS smoking cessation services in Scotland and their progress towards their 2018/19 Local Delivery Plan (LDP) Standard. The LDP Standard for NHS Scotland in 2018/19 is to achieve at least 7,568 selfreported successful twelve-week quits (those people still not smoking after 12 weeks) through smoking cessation services in the most deprived areas | ISD Scotland, UK
No Justice in the Capital? (PDF)
This report estimates that the most vulnerable Londoners were unable to access any legal support for as many as 37,500 legal problems since the introduction of legal aid cuts. The estimate is based on a recent survey of people who come into repeat contact with the criminal justice system, as a result of multiple non-violent offences (such theft or minor drug offences) driven by vulnerabilities such as mental ill health, homelessness and domestic abuse | Revolving Doors Agency, UK
Statistics on Women's Smoking Status at Time of Delivery, England - Quarter 3, 2018-19
10.5% of pregnant women were known to be smokers at the time of delivery during quarter 3 of 2018/19 | NHS Digital, UK
Stop & Scrutinise: How to improve community scrutiny of stop and search (PDF)
The use of stop and search has declined significantly since 2011 but this trend appears to be slowing and, in some areas, reversing | CJA, UK
Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN) Guidance for 2019-2020
New #CQUIN scheme from @NHSEngland for 2019/20 includes confirmation that it includes alcohol and tobacco brief advice | NHS England, UK
Prejudice and Prohibition: Results of a study of smoking and vaping policies in NHS hospital trusts in England
The majority of NHS trusts in England are still banning vaping on hospital grounds despite a call by Public Health England in February 2018 to make e-cigarettes available for sale in hospital shops and to remove restrictions on their use | forest, UK
Legalising Vaping in Australia (PDF)
In spite of a substantial fall in the smoking rate over several decades, nearly three million or 15.2% of Australian adults still smoke tobacco. 1 Smoking remains the leading preventable cause of death and illness in Australia. 2 Smoking is especially prevalent in disadvantaged populations such as Indigenous people, low-income groups and those with mental illness or substance use and is a major contributor to health and financial inequalities | The McKell Institute, Australia
Latest wastewater data reveal drug-taking habits in over 70 European cities and an increase in the detection of stimulants
The latest findings from the largest European project in the emerging science of wastewater analysis are presented today by the Europe-wide SCORE group, in association with the EU drugs agency (EMCDDA) | EMCDDA, Portugal
Promises to improve health outcomes for people who inject drugs remain unfulfilled as 99% do not have adequate access to HIV and harm reduction services
New report by UNAIDS highlights the urgent need to implement a human rights and evidence-informed approach to reach people who inject drugs with essential health services | UN AIDS, Switzerland
What we have learned over the last ten years: A summary of knowledge acquired and produced by the UN system on drug-related matters (PDF)
To help boost coordination and deliver more effective assistance, we established a Task Team to produce timely briefs and encourage joint-programming and resource mobilization for drug-related programmes. This first such brief is a collection of successful experiences in law enforcement, prevention, health care, human rights and development over the last ten years. It is a tool for sharing best practices and promoting evidence-based, rights-based approaches | UNODC, Austria
Current NPS Threats
The first volume of the new biannual Current NPS Threats was launched with data reported to the Toxicology Portal (Tox-Portal) of the UNODC Early Warning Advisory on NPS. These data from post-mortem, clinical and other casework were reported by toxicology laboratories from 29 countries in all regions of the world and allowed to identify some key recent developments regarding health threats posed by NPS | UNODC, Austria
Drugnet Ireland (PDF)
In recognition of the 20-year anniversary of the Methadone Treatment Protocol in 2018, the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) has brought together a series of reflections of their Substance Misuse Programme.1 This comprises articles and extracts from Forum, the journal of ICGP, summaries of ICGP publications, pictures, and personal reflections from doctors and patients | Health Research Board, Ireland
Alcohol treatment in Ireland 2011 – 2017 (PDF)
In this bulletin, trends in treated problem alcohol use are described for the seven-year period from 2011 to 2017. The data are taken from the National Drug Treatment Reporting System (NDTRS), the national surveillance system that records and reports on cases of drug and alcohol treatment in Ireland | HRB, Ireland
International Guidelines on Human Rights and Drug Policy (PDF)
The International Guidelines on Human Rights and Drug Policy are a reference tool for policy-makers, diplomats, lawyers and civil society organisations working to ensure human rights compliance in drug policy. They aim to fill the gap in foundational standard-setting processes through which contemporary human rights norms have been applied to various aspects of drug policy | WHO et al | Switzerland
Drug Use in Nigeria 2018
This is the first comprehensive nationwide national drug use survey to be conducted in Nigeria | UNODC, Austria
Drug Seizures and Offender Characteristics, 2017-18
This bulletin presents Official Statistics on drug seizures made by the police in Scotland and the characteristics of those found in possession of drugs. These statistics relate to drugs controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, which divides drugs into three classes, namely A, B and C | Scottish Government, UK
Narcotic Drugs - Technical Report
As a supplement to the Annual Report of the International Narcotics control Board, Narcotics Control and Estimates Section of the INCB Secretariat publishes a technical report that provides an overview of the world wide licit manufacture, export, import, stocks and consumption of substances controlled under the Convention on Narcotic Drugs 1961. In addition to providing specific figures for movements of many scheduled substances the report includes commentary on emerging and ongoing trends in the licit market for psychotropic substances under international control | INCB, USA
Psychotropic Substances - Technical Report
On an annual basis the Psychotropics Control Section of the INCB Secretariat publishes a technical report that provides an overview of the world wide licit manufacture, export, import, stocks and consumption of substances controlled under the Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971. In addition to providing specific figures for movements of many scheduled substances the report includes commentary on emerging and ongoing trends in the licit market for psychotropic substances under international control | INCB, USA
Drug Overdose Deaths Involving Fentanyl, 2011–2016 (PDF)
The number of deaths from overdoses involving fentanyl was more than 11 times higher in 2016 than in 2011, and is believed to be more than 18 times higher as of August 2017-2018 according to provisional data | CDC, USA
What enhances the formation of social bonds & facilitates better engagement & retention in an addiction service? (PDF)
The purpose of the research was to explore if there are key skills that staff members at the STAR Project Ballymun use or particular ways that they relate to service users which help with the formation of social bonds, which in turn leads to increased levels of service user engagement and retention. This summary presents the main findings and recommendations | DCU, Ireland
The African Cannabis Report
While cannabis remains illegal in most African countries, many nations are keen to embrace cultivation as a way to boost their economies. Cannabis is already widely grown and consumed across the continent with production currently standing at around 38,000 tonnes and consumption rates at 13.2% | Prohibition Partners, UK
Shifting trends in the Perth ecstasy market: Harm reduction implications
This bulletin examines trends in the Perth ecstasy market (e.g. price, purity and availability), alongside trends in patterns of use (amounts being used, frequency of use) and reports of non-fatal ‘overdoses’ attributed to ‘ecstasy’ among a sample who regularly use ecstasy and other illicit stimulants | NDARC, Australia
Crack cocaine increase: inquiry findings
Report on the findings of a Public Health England and Home Office investigation into the increase in crack cocaine use in England | PHE, UK
Opiate and crack cocaine use: prevalence estimates by local area
Estimates of the number of opiate and crack cocaine users in local areas | PHE, UK
Alcohol, are we kidding ourselves?
[From February 25th] Are we kidding ourselves when it comes to alcohol? That’s the question being raised as a new report released today highlights the North East’s drinking habits | Balance North East, UK
National Drug and Alcohol Treatment Waiting Times (PDF)
The quarterly trend over the past three years shows little change in performance. Of the 10,550 people who started their first treatment in the most recent quarter, 93.9% waited three weeks or less. Summary (PDF) | ISD Scotland, UK
NHS price concessions cost charities and local authorities an additional £5.6 million last year
In the last year we estimate that price concessions have cost an additional £165 million in unplanned expenditure for Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) | University of Oxford, UK
Medications for Opioid Use Disorder Save Lives
Medications for opioid use disorder (OUD) save lives. Yet most people with OUD in the United States receive no treatment at all, and only a fraction of those who do receive medications for OUD | National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, USA
Health, rights and drugs. Harm reduction, decriminalization and zero discrimination for people who use drugs (PDF)
This report outlines that although decriminalization of drug use and possession for personal use increases the provision, access and uptake of health and harm reduction services, criminalization and severe punishments remain commonplace. An estimated one in five people in prison globally are incarcerated for drug-related offences, around 80% of whom are in prison for possession for personal use alone. In addition, the report lists 35 countries that retain the death penalty for drug-related offences | UNAIDS, Switzerland