Reports: November

What works. Alcohol and other drug interventions in prisons (PDF)

Around half of all Australian prisoners are likely to meet the criteria for alcohol and other drug dependence. Given the high prevalence of alcohol and other drug problems among people in Australian prisons and the relationship between alcohol and other drug use and its potential influence on reoffending, the period of imprisonment represents an excellent opportunity to deliver evidencebased treatment | 360Edge, Australia

Impact of Cannabis Legalization on Youth Contact with the Criminal Justice System (PDF)

One of the primary goals of the Cannabis Act is to minimize youth access to cannabis and divert profits away from the illicit market. Under the Act, the possession of more than five grams of cannabis remains a criminal offence for those under 18 years of age. Youth are also now subject to new provincial sanctions for possession that are specific to each jurisdiction | CCSA, Canada

Results from World Mental Health Surveys finds low rates of people with alcohol use disorder having ‘helpful’ treatment

Results from World Mental Health Surveys have found fewer than half of the people with alcohol use disorder who sought treatment perceived their treatment as being helpful | NDARC, Australia

The vicious cycle of tobacco use and mental illness – a double burden on health

A new factsheet launched by WHO examines the intricate connections between tobacco use and mental illness. The factsheet stresses the urgent need to address these connections: 2 in 3 people with severe mental health conditions are current smokers, which has an enormous impact on health | WHO, Denmark

Meet the Global Drug Policy Index

The Global Drug Policy Index provides each country with a score and ranking that shows how much their drug policies and their implementation align with the UN principles of human rights, health and development. [The UK ranks 4th] | Global Drug Policy Index, UK

A Review of the Existing Literature and Evidence on Young People Experiencing Harms from Alcohol and Drugs in Scotland (PDF)

This report provides a review of the existing literature and evidence base relating to alcohol and drug harms experienced by children and younger people (<25 years) in Scotland. It provides an up-to-date overview of the latest data on prevalence and harms related to alcohol and drug use among children and younger people | Scottish Government, UK

National naloxone programme Scotland - Quarterly monitoring bulletin

Accidental overdose is a common cause of death among users of heroin, morphine and similar drugs, which are referred to as opioids. Naloxone is a drug which reverses the effects of a potentially fatal overdose with these drugs. During 2021/22 Quarter 1 (1 April 2021 to 30 June 2021) 5,363 Take-Home Naloxone (THN) kits were issued... | Public Health Scotland, UK

Current and past trends in tobacco and e-cigarette use and the impact of control measures: an analysis of survey data and other evidence

Current and past trends in tobacco and e-cigarette use and the impact of legislative and regulatory controls on smoking and e-cigarette use behaviours are outlined in this multi-method research | NatCen, UK

Caught in the Crossfire: Health and human rights impacts of COVID-19 measures on people who use drugs in Indonesia and the Philippines

COVID-19, as well as government responses to the pandemic, are having unprecedented impacts on peoples’ lives, and are exacerbating vulnerabilities and inequalities. Since the early stages of the pandemic, many governments have resorted to securitised strategies centred around control and punishment, often leading to policies skewed towards repression and control, rather than health, transparency, and socio-economic support | HRI, UK

Drug situation in Afghanistan: Latest findings and emerging threats (PDF)

The 2021 opium harvest, completed in July, marked the fifth year in a row with production at historic highs of more than 6,000 tons, potentially yielding up to 320 tons of pure heroin to be trafficked to markets around the world | UNODC, Austria

Tobacco use falling: WHO urges countries to invest in helping more people to quit tobacco

The fourth WHO global tobacco trends report released today, shows that there are 1.30 billion tobacco users globally compared to 1.32 billion in 2015. This number is expected to drop to 1.27 billion by 2025 | WHO, Switzerland

UNODC Synthetic Drug Strategy 2021-2025

Synthetic drug manufacture can occur anywhere depending on human creativity and the availability of a few strategic chemicals. The dynamic nature of synthetic drug markets necessitates nimble and adaptable solutions. The UNODC Synthetic Drug Strategy presents a framework for action to address this global problem | UNODC, USA

Drug-related hospital statistics

This release by Public Health Scotland presents information on hospital activity relating to illicit drug use in Scotland in the period from 1996/97 to 2020/21. The topics covered are: the number of hospital stays, the number and characteristics of patients, substances used and geographical variations | Public Health Scotland, UK

A report that identifies how to improve access to residential treatment

The report has been commissioned by Phoenix Futures and carried out by Mike Pattinson and Kevin Crowley, two experts with many years’ experience in the drug and alcohol treatment sector | Phoenix Futures, UK

Informing alcohol consumers: 2021 UK market review

A review of the labels of 400 alcohol products on the UK market, including the best-selling brands available across all major retailers, conducted by the Portman Group and their findings are reported here | Portman Group, UK

Making Rehab work: A report that identifies how to improve access to residential treatment

The New Leaf: Beyond Brexit, Countering Covid

The New Leaf Opportunities campaign has highlighted the economic benefits, innovations and investment opportunities that medical cannabis and CBD can bring to the UK. It has also focused on how celebrating this will lead to a more vibrant cannabis sector. This report has honed in on the opportunities that medical cannabis and CBD bring through an economic, innovation and regulatory lens | Volteface, UK

Pathways into, through and out of Residential Rehabilitation in Scotland: Results from the Residential Rehabilitation Providers Survey (PDF)

In 2019/20 and 2020/21, there were an approximate total of 1,601 and 1,164 individual placements, respectively, across the 20 residential rehabilitation providers in Scotland identified by previous Scottish Government Mapping and Capacity Reports | Scottish Government, UK

Residential rehabilitation: Interim monitoring report on statutory funded residential rehabilitation placements

This is the first report on Residential Rehabilitation within the Monitoring and Evaluation Programme led by Public Health Scotland. The report presents information on the number of Alcohol and Drug Partnership statutory funded placements, with estimated costs, that were approved between 1st April 2021 and 30th September 2021 | Public Health Scotland, UK

Tobacco: preventing uptake, promoting quitting and treating dependence

This guideline covers support to stop smoking for everyone aged 12 and over, and help to reduce people's harm from smoking if they are not ready to stop in one go. It also covers ways to prevent children, young people and young adults aged 24 and under from taking up smoking | NICE, UK