Interventions: Harm reduction |
| Accessibility of HIV Prevention for People who Use Drugs and Incarcerated People July 2010 |
| Accessibility of HIV Prevention, Treatment and Care Services for People who Use Drugs and Incarcerated People in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan: Legislative and Policy Analysis and Recommendations for Reform. PDF download [Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network] |
| Analysis of national programmes on HIV and drug control July 2010 |
| Accessibility of HIV Prevention, Treatment and Care Services for People who Use Drugs and Incarcerated People in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan: Legislative and Policy Analysis and Recommendations for Reform - Download PDF report [Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, UNODC] |
| Legislative and Policy Barriers to Needle & Syringe Programs July 2010 |
| The Australian Injecting & Illicit Drug Users League (AIVL) has developed this position paper with a view to providing a national overview of the legislative and policy barriers which currently restrict access to Needle & Syringe Programs (NSPs) and new injecting equipment for PWIDs [Australian Injecting & Illicit Drug Users League] |
| IHRA releases 2007 - 2009 programme evaluation report July 2010 |
| The evaluation was funded by the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID), and was concluded in December 2009 [IHRA] |
| New UNAIDS OUTLOOK report 2010 launched July 2010 |
| Ahead of the XVIII International AIDS Conference to be held in Vienna from 18 – 23 July, UNAIDS has launched its OUTLOOK Report 2010 in Geneva [UNAIDS] |
| Strategy to halt and reverse the HIV epidemic among people who inject drugs in Asia and the Pacific July 2010 |
| The regional strategy, - A strategy to halt and reverse the HIV epidemic among people who inject drugs in Asia and the Pacific 2010-2015, is a roadmap for Member States, Civil Society and Development Agencies on how to successfully address the HIV epidemic among people who inject drugs in Asia and the Pacific [UNODC] |
| The Australian Needle and Syringe Program Survey July 2010 |
| This report presents national, state and territory data for the period 2005 to 2009 [National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research The University of New South Wales, Australia] |
| Deadly disregard June 2010 |
| Government refusal to implement evidence-based measures to prevent HIV and hepatitis C virus infections in prisons [CMAJ, Canada] |
| Is it time for a supervised injecting facility for Melbourne? June 2010 |
| Research conducted by the Burnet Institute and commissioned by the Yarra Drug & Health Forum in Collingwood provides clear evidence of the public health benefits of establishing a supervised injecting facility in Melbourne - Report PDF [Burnet Institute, Australia] |
| IHRA launches 'Complicity or Abolition? The Death Penalty and International Support for Drug Enforcement' report June 2010 |
| The report notes that such operations continue to be funded without appropriate safeguards despite the fact that the abolition of the death penalty is a requirement of entry into the Council of Europe and the European Union and that the United Nations advocates strongly against capital punishment 2.7 MB PDF [IHRA] |
| Statistics from the Northern Ireland Needle and Syringe Exchange Scheme: 1 April 2009 – 31 March 2010 June 2010 |
| This bulletin summarises information on people visiting the Needle and Syringe Exchange Scheme and relates to the twelve-month period ending 31 March 2010 PDF [INEF, Ireland] |
| Problem drug use and safeguarding children: a multi agency approach June 2010 |
| This chapter explores the social context in which ‘problem drug users’ and ‘inadequate parents’ are constructed ... key issues and difficulties involved in working with problem drug users whose children are considered to be at risk of abuse or neglect [Julian Buchanan, Glyndwr University, UK] |
| "Three Cents a day is not enough June 2010 |
| Resourcing HIV-related Harm Reduction on a Global Basis [International Harm Reduction Association] |
| Protection from illicit drugs – a child rights issue June 2010 |
| Protecting children from illicit drugs is not an option for State Parties to the Convention of the Rights of the Child. It is an obligation. This is the conclusion in a report that was presented at the World Forum Against Drugs in Stockholm [Alcohol Drugs and Development, Norway / Sweden] |
| Coming Clean: Combating drug misuse in prisons June 2010 |
| This report contends that there are a series of fundamental problems with the way these issues are approached – and that despite repeated warning signs, the Prison Service appears destined to continue down the same failed path - PDF [Policy Exchange, UK] |
| Supporting All Women and Girls June 2010 |
| As part of the White House Council on Women and Girls, ONDCP released its first report detailing programs, policies, and initiatives that are aimed at supporting women, both within our workforce and in communities everywhere [ONDCP, USA] |
| Legislative and Policy Barriers to Needle & Syringe Programs and Injecting Equipment Access for People Who Inject Drugs May 2010 |
| AIVL has developed this position paper with a view to providing a national overview of the legislative and policy barriers which currently restrict access to Needle & Syringe Programs (NSPs) and new injecting equipment for PWIDs [Australian Injecting and Illicit Drug Users League] |
| Australian Government’s National Drugs Campaign May 2010 |
| Alcohol and other Drugs Council of Australia (ADCA) has announced a new partnership with the Australian Government’s National Drugs Campaign (NDC) offering Drug Action Week organisers the ability to order free NDC promotional material [Australian Government] |
| Time for a fresh look at drug policy governance May 2010 |
| Lancet Editorial ACMD (17 April 2010) - Response from the [UK Drug Policy Commission] |
| National guidelines for services providing injecting equipment May 2010 |
| Guidelines for services providing injecting equipment: Best practice recommendations for commissioners and injecting equipment provision (IEP) services in Scotland [Scottish Government, UK] |
| Provisional Information on the provision of injecting equipment in Scotland, 2008/09 May 2010 |
| This survey, carried out by ISD as part of the Hepatitis C action plan, collected information on Injecting Equipment Providers (IEPs) in Scotland for financial year 2008/09 and the 6 month period April to September 2009/10 PDF [ISD Scotland] |
| Colin Mair on Community Resilience - Video May 2010 |
| Budget Scenario - Threat or Opportunity [FEAD, UK] |
| Alcohol and Drugs - a Question of Architecture May 2010 |
| A systems mapping approach to how Scotland can reduce the damage to its population through alcohol and drugs by half by 2025 [Scotland's Futures Forum] |
| IHRA launches 'The Death Penalty for Drug Offences: Global Overview 2010' report May 2010 |
| The report is the first detailed country by country overview of the death penalty for drugs, monitoring both national legislation and state practice of enforcement [IHRA] |
| The Role of Alcohol and Other Drugs in Road Deaths and Serious Injuries May 2010 |
| This report outlines the impact of drug use on road deaths and injuries and outlines a number of strategies that are currently being implemented to minimise and reduce the number of drivers who consume drugs [DrugInfo Clearinghouse, Australia] |
| Canadian Court of Appeal upholds supervised injection site’s right to operate May 2010 |
| North America’s first supervised injection facilty, was a provincial undertaking that did not undermine the federal goals of protecting health or eliminating the market that drives drugrelated offences. As such, the Court held that the drug possession and trafficking provisions of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) did not apply to Insite. Download [International Yearbook on Human Rights and Drug Policy] |
| Italian goverment's position on harm reduction raises opposition among the NGOs April 2010 |
| During the negotiations on the EU resolution in view of CND 2010, the Italian government tried to challenge the European wide position on Harm Reduction. NGOs statement PDF [IDPC] |
| IHRA launches 'What is Harm Reduction' briefing, in 11 different languages April 2010 |
| English version here [IHRA] |
| 'The Global State of Harm Reduction 2010 April 2010 |
| Key Issues for Broadening the Response' 10MB report [IHRA] |
| Revisiting the AACCE profile in the North West of England Results from NDTMS in 2008/09 April 2010 |
| One of the central themes of the AACCE hypothesis is that the use of non-opiate substances amongst young people in contact with treatment indicates shifting substance use patterns that will eventually impact on adult services as these individuals mature [Centre for Public Health, Liverpool John Moores University, UK] |
| IHRA launches 'Through a harm reduction lens: Civil society engagement in multilateral decision making' report April 2010 |
| This report examines the ways in which multilaterals are currently engaging civil society groups working on harm reduction in international policy, including the engagement of leading non-governmental organisations and the involvement of affected communities [IHRA] |
| Indigenous specific alcohol and other drug interventions April 2010 |
| A report identifying the areas of greatest need to address harmful Indigenous drug and alcohol use [NIDAC, Australia] |
| National Hep C Strategy April 2010 |
| hird National Hepatitis C Strategy 2010-2013 [Hepatitis NSW, Australia] |
| National Hep B Strategy April 2010 |
| National Hepatitis B Strategy 2010-2013 [Hepatitis NSW, Australia] |
| National Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Blood Borne Virus Strategy April 2010 |
| Third National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Blood Borne Viruses and Sexually Transmissible Infections Strategy 2010–2013.[Hepatitis NSW, Australia] |
| IHRA launches '3 Cents' report April 2010 |
| IHRA's new '3 cents' report shows the small amount of money being invested in harm reduction [IHRA] |
| CUT - What else are people eating, snorting and injecting when they take illegal drugs? April 2010 |
| A Guide to the Adulterants, Bulking agents and other Contaminants found in illicit drugs [Centre for Public Health, UK] |
| Harm reduction: evidence, impacts and challenges April 2010 |
| The EMCDDA’s 10th scientific monograph, entitled Harm reduction: evidence, impacts and challenges provides a comprehensive overview of the harm reduction field. 3.9MB PDF [EMCDDA] |
| Reducing drug and alcohol harms to communities and families: updated guidance on developing local practice April 2010 |
| This guidance takes the local community as the starting point of its approach to dealing with drug and alcohol problems. Its focus is not only on meeting national priorities, but about making a difference at a local level [Home Office, UK] |
| The Role of Alcohol and Other Drugs in Road Deaths and Serious Injuries April 2010 |
| This paper examines the impact of alcohol and other drug use, including various pharmaceuticals, on road deaths and injuries. It also outlines a number of strategies that are currently being implemented to minimise and reduce the number of drivers who consume drugs [Australian Drug Foundation] |
| Methadone is key to effective drug treatment April 2010 |
| As a group of experts in the treatment of opiate-dependent people, we write to express our dismay about the continuing misrepresentation in the media of the evidence on the effectiveness of methadone treatment [The Scotsman, UK] |
| Consideration of the cathinones April 2010 |
| Report from the [Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, UK] |
| Risk assessment of new psychoactive substances — operating guidelines April 2010 |
| The principal aim of these guidelines is to put in place a sound methodological and procedural basis for carrying out each risk assessment, by using a semi-quantitative assessment procedure [EMCDDA] |
| Human Rights and Drug Policy March 2010 |
| Briefings for the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs [Open Society Institute] |
| Parliamentary Handbook on HIV and AIDS February 2010 |
| Drug abuse is a predisposing factor in HIV transmission because it impairs judgment, often leading to risky sexual behavior. Injecting drug use involving the use of needles and syringes carries even greater risks [Cambodian Parliament] |
| Young people's treatment at the crossroads February 2010 |
| The drug and alcohol treatment system needs to be more flexible if it is to effectively meet the needs of older teenagers and young adults developing substance misuse problems, according to a new DrugScope report [DrugScope, UK] |
| Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research: Report to the California Legislature February 2010 |
| As a result of the vision and foresight of the California State Legislature Medical Marijuana Research Act (SB847), the CMCR has successfully conducted the first clinical trials of smoked cannabis in the United States in more than 20 years [ Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research, USA] |
| Dangers of drug and alcohol use during pregnancy: medics ask for more training February 2010 |
| A new study has found that doctors and nurses believe they need more training and resources to help them talk to pregnant women about the dangers of alcohol and drug use. Summary - Full Report [Alcohol Healthwatch, New Zealand] |
| Anthrax - Information for Health Professionals February 2010 |
| [Health Protection Agency, UK] |
| Anthrax - Advice for heroin users February 2010 |
| [Health Protection Agency, UK] |
| Under the Skin: A People’s Case for Prison Needle and Syringe Programs February 2010 |
| What do people in prison have to say about the Canadian government’s unwillingness to permit the distribution of clean needles in prison? How has this policy, that denies the realities of injection drug use in prison, affected individuals who are struggling with drug addiction? And what does this mean for the community as a whole? PDF [Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network] |
| Drugs, Homelessness & Health: Homeless Youth Speak Out About Harm Reduction January 2010 |
| The Shout Clinic Harm Reduction Report, 2010 [Wellesley Institute, Canada] |
| Adult family members and carers of dependent drug users - full report November 2009 |
| The full 55-page PDF report by Prof. Alex Copello, Lorna Templeton and Dr Jane Powell [UKDPC] |
| HIV testing and counselling in prisons and other closed settings November 2009 |
| This position statement aims to ensure: That people held in prisons and other closed settings are not left out of efforts to scale up access to HIV testing and counselling, as part of broader efforts to scale up access to comprehensive and evidence-based HIV prevention, treatment, care and support for prisoners [UNODC / WHO] |
| Legislative Innovation in Drug Policy November 2009 |
| This briefing summarizes good practices in legislative reforms around the world, representing steps away from a repressive zero-tolerance model towards a more evidence-based and humane drug policy. Full 20-page PDF [TNI via IHRA] |
| From corrections to the community October 2009 |
| A set of indicators of the health of Australia's prisoners [AIHW, Australia] |
| Document Collection on Overdose October 2009 |
| This collection brings together [50] documents that provide the best information on overdose and overdose prevention [IHRA] |
| Shooting Up: Infections among injecting drug users in the United Kingdom 2008 October 2009 |
| A 32-page PDF update [Health Protection Agency, UK] |
| Needle & Syringe Program Return on Investment Study October 2009 |
| The study seeks to analyse the effectiveness of needle and syringe programs in preventing transmission of HIV, and hepatitis C (HCV) in Australia from 1991 (that is from when NSPs were well established in all jurisdictions except Tasmania) to the end of 2000. 166-page PDF Summary report [Department of Health, Australia] |
| Needle and Syringe Program November 2009 |
| Return on investment 2: evaluating the cost-effectiveness of needle and syringe programs in Australia 2009 [DoH, Australia] |
| Return on Investment 2 October 2009 |
| A evaluation report published by Commonwealth Department of Health, conducted by a team of investigators at the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. 2MB PDF [Australian Government] |
| Needle and syringe programmes October 2009 |
| Needle and syringe programmes: providing people who inject drugs with injecting equipment [NICE, UK] |
| Evidence for the effectiveness and cost–effectiveness of interventions to reduce alcohol-related harm September 2009 |
| The WHO European Region has the highest proportion of total ill health and premature death caused by alcohol in the world. The effectiveness of alcohol policies in reducing this harm has been evaluated mainly in North America and northern Europe, but the general principles are applicable across societies and countries 2MB PDF [WHO] |
| Handbook for action to reduce alcohol-related harm |
| Every country in the WHO European Region has some form of alcohol action plan. This handbook helps them review, adjust or strengthen their plans to further reduce the harm caused by alcohol 538KB PDF [WHO] |
| IHRA Release Position Statement Defining Harm Reduction September 2009 |
| After months of discussion and consultation with partners, the Board of Directors and staff have released a detailed position statement defining the term ‘harm reduction’ [International Harm Reduction Association] |
| New IHRA Report: From Evidence to Action September 2009 |
| Among the many notable events happening in and around Harm Reduction 2009: IHRA’s 20th International Conference in Bangkok were the highly publicised keynote speeches by Professor Michel Kazatchkine (Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria) and Craig McClure (Executive Director of the International AIDS Society) [International Harm Reduction Association] |
| Untreatable or just hard to treat? September 2009 |
| Results of the Randomised Injectable Opioid Treatment Trial (RIOTT) [King’s Health Partners, UK] |
| The Victorian Drug Statistics Handbook September 2009 |
| Patterns of drug use and related harm in Victoria for the period July 2006 to June 2007. 288-page PDF [Mental Health and Drugs Division Department of Human Services (Victoria), Australia] |
| Under the influence - the damaging effect of alcohol marketing on young people September 2009 |
| This report examines the damaging effect of alcohol marketing on young people. It aims to identify effective ways of protecting young people from the influence of alcohol promotion and marketing, thereby redressing the excessively pro-alcohol social norms to which they are exposed. 58-page PDF [BMA, UK] |
| Blueprint drugs education: the response of pupils and parents to the programme September 2009 |
| This executive summary (which comes from the final report), focuses on the second stage of the Blueprint evaluation. It sets out to assess how pupils and parents responded to the programme, pupils’ awareness and knowledge of drug use, their perception of drug use and acceptability of drug use among same-age peers, and the quality and frequency of parent-child communication on drugs [Home Office, UK] |
| Doing Better for Children September 2009 |
| This unique report was commissioned by the Scottish Recovery Network and is the result of a long-standing project to investigate carers' perspectives of recovery and experiences supporting recovery. 47-page PDF [Scottish Recovery Network, UK] |
| FEAD (Film Exchange on Alcohol and Drugs) August 2009 |
| A resource that brings short video presentations from leading figures in the alcohol and drugs field direct to your screen. The contributors cover a range of topics honestly and directly - including: achievements, problem areas, and reflections on the field's history. Many people have found the website useful in helping discussions and expanding on practice and theory. Please feel free to use the material to enrich your events, seminars, groups, teaching etc |
| Development of a Parents’ Resource Manual Booklet to equip parents/guardians to provide early and appropriate responses to young people’s substance use August 2009 |
| A comprehensive review of international and national research and literature in order to: Identify and document best practice with regard to primary and secondary prevention of substance use (completed in part 1) - Identify and document the range and levels of current programmes, strategies, interventions and resources available for parents in this regard (completed in part 2). 50-page PDF [Crosscare, Ireland] |
| Drug policy reform in practice August 2009 |
| This article provides an overview of European drug policy practices regarding harm reduction, decriminalization of consumption and possession, and more tolerant policies towards cannabis, particularly in The Netherlands and several states in the US. 19-page PDF [TNI, Netherlands & Nueva Sociedad] |
| Effective weed control August 2009 |
| A guide for people trying to cut down or stop using cannabis. 53-page PDF [Turning Point, Australia] |
| Preventing Overdose, Saving Lives August 2009 |
| Strategies for Combating a National Crisis. 24-page PDF [Drug Policy Alliance, USA] |
| Harm Reduction in Prison: The Moldova Model July 2009 |
| This report focuses on the introduction of harm reduction programmes in Moldovan prisons and describes successes achieved as well as remaining challenges. 70-page PDF [IDPC] |
| Delivering effective needle and syringe programmes presentations now available July 2009 |
| Presentations and notes from this conference, held on 1 July 2009, are now available [NTA, UK] |
| Discussion Forum: Supervised Injection Site Evaluative Research June 2009 |
| Despite the wealth of research conducted to date, questions continue to arise regarding aspects of Insite’s operations and impact, the level of evidence deemed sufficient to support various courses of action, and the next steps and longer-term plans necessary to best meet the needs of the target population. 11-page PDF [CCSA, Canada] |
| Assessing Parolees' Health Care Needs and Potential Access to Health Care Services in California June 2009 |
| Health Care Needs Are High, but Mental Health and Drug Treatment Needs Are Even Higher [RAND, USA] |
| Overdose Prevention and Response June 2009 |
| A Guide for People Who Use Drugs and Harm Reduction Staff in Eastern Europe and Central Asia 86-page PDF [Open Society Institute, USA] |
| Preventing Overdose, Saving Lives June 2009 |
| By expanding the availability of low-risk, low-cost overdose interventions and improving education and outreach for people at high risk of overdose, policymakers can help to prevent the tragic and unnecessary loss of life. 24-page PDF [DPA, USA] |
| Understanding the Public Health Implications of Prisoner Reentry in California June 2009 |
| Examining the demographic and health profiles of the prison population shows that it is disproportionately sicker on average than the U.S. population in general, with substantially higher rates of infectious diseases (such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and hepatitis B and C), serious mental illness, and substance abuse disorders. 220-page PDF [RAND, USA] |
| A national physician survey on prescribing syringes as an HIV prevention measure June 2009 |
| Physicians within their medical practice have an important opportunity to intervene in substance abuse behavior on an individual level. Prescribing syringes to IDUs should figure among such interventions because it can help prevent the transmission of bloodborne disease and enhance overall IDU care27-page PDF [Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, USA] |
| The Effects of Substance Use on Workplace Injuries June 2009 |
| This paper describes associations between substance use and occupational injuries and proposes reasons that substance use may be linked to work-related accidents. 55-page PDF [RAND, USA] |
| Clean Switch: The Case for Prison Needle and Syringe Programs in Canada June 2009 |
| This paper outlines the available evidence and the legal rationale, under federal Canadian and international human rights law, for Canada to implement PNSPs without delay. 44-page PDF [Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network] |
| Drug Addiction Treatment and Rehabilitation June 2009 |
| This examination looked at all the main publicly-funded treatment and rehabilitation services provided for persons with addiction to illegal drugs. In particular, it looked at the extent to which the demand for treatment and rehabilitation services is met, and the timeliness of access to treatment. It also looked at the extent to which the effectiveness of treatment and rehabilitation services are evaluated, and the effectiveness of the arrangements for coordination of treatment and rehabilitation at an individual case level, and nationally. 96-page PDF [Comptroller and Auditor General, Ireland] |
| Measuring the harm from illegal drugs June 2009 |
| A summary of the Drug Harm Index 2006 [Home Office, UK] |
| Australian Guidelines: To reduce health risks from drinking alcohol June 2009 |
| These 2009 National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) guidelines aim to establish the evidence base for future policies and community materials on reducing the health risks that arise from drinking alcohol. 179-pagePDF [NHMRC, Australia] |
| No reason to deny hepatitis C treatment to methadone patients June 2009 |
| Methadone patients stick with therapy for hepatitis C disease and do as well as other patients, bolstering the case for drug services to encourage clients to consider diagnostic testing and therapy [Drug and Alcohol Findings, UK] |
| It's their own fault for doing drugs May 2009 |
| Inaugural Professorial Lecture May 2009 - This lecture explored the negative impact of the war on drugs upon drug users [Professor Julian Buchanan, Glyndwr University, Wales, UK] |
| Why are the rates of hepatitis higher in Aboriginal injecting drug users. Part 1 May 2009 |
| [Australian Injecting & Illicit Drug Users League] |
| Why are the rates of hepatitis higher in Aboriginal injecting drug users. Part 2 May 2009 |
| [Australian Injecting & Illicit Drug Users League] |
| Drug Use, Sex Work and the Risk Environment in Dublin May 2009 |
| The physical, economic and social environments within which drug-using sex workers find themselves impact on their construction of ‘risk’ and ‘harm’. 208-page PDF [NACD, Ireland] |
| Needle and syringe programmes March 2009 |
| Needle and syringe programmes: providing people who inject drugs with injecting equipment [National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, UK] |
| Harm Reduction and Human Rights January 2009 |
| This report provides a concise overview of the global situation in terms of drug-related HIV epidemics worldwide, with a particular focus on the regions of Asia, Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa, and Sub Saharan Africa. 26-page PDF [IHRA] |
| Needle Exchange Provision in Ireland January 2009 |
| The Context, Current Levels of Service Provision and Recommendations A 52-page PDF Joint Report by the [National Drugs Strategy Team and National Advisory Committee on Drugs] |
| Guidance on standards for the establishment and operation of drug consumption rooms in the UK December 2008 |
| This report provides essential guidance for local multi-agency partnerships that are contemplating establishing and operating a drug consumption room (DCR) in the UK [Joseph Rowntree Foundation, UK] |
| New guidance - Good practice in harm reduction October 2008 |
| The 36-page PDF guide will help service providers and commissioners improve harm reduction service for drug users [NTA, UK] |
| Global State of Harm Reduction 2008 [May 2008] |
| Mapping the response to drug-related HIV and hepatitis C epidemics. Full report 6MB PDF [IHRA] |
| Public Order and Supervised Injection Facilities [April 2008] |
| Vancouver’s SIS. 29-page OPDF [Neil Boyd, J. Bryan Kinney, Carla McLean, Jon Heidt and Isabel Otter, Canada] |
| Harm Reduction Developments 2008 [April 2008] |
| Countries with Injection-Driven HIV Epidemics. 84- page PDF [Open Society Institute] |
Monograph #6 A systematic review of harm reduction [December 2005] |
| This monograph (No. 06) reports on the systematic review of harm reduction. Harm reduction was defined as policies and interventions that focus on reducing the harms associated with drug use, not the amount of drug used. The following interventions were reviewed: needle syringe programs; supervised injecting facilities; non-injecting routes of administration; outreach; HIV education and information and HIV testing and counselling; brief interventions (aimed at harm reduction); overdose prevention interventions and legal and regulatory frameworks. There is substantial evidentiary support for NSP – as an efficacious, effective and cost-effective intervention. There is also good evidentiary support for outreach. The other harm reduction interventions (supervised injecting facilities, non-injecting routes of administration, overdose prevention, and brief interventions) do not currently have a sufficiently large body of research knowledge to draw strong conclusions. There is little evidence for HIV education and information and HIV testing and counselling as behaviour change interventions. |
|
New Zealand Needle and Syringe Exchange Programme Review [2005] |
|
The Centre for Harm Reduction was commissioned to review New Zealand's Needle and Syringe Exchange Programme (NSEP) in March 2002 to assess whether the NSEP is working in the most effective and efficient way possible within available resources. The report includes recommendations for action to improve the effectiveness of needle exchange services in New Zealand |
|
Burnet Institute |
|
A situation assessment detailing the National AIDS Standing Bureau, Vietnam and the Macfarlane Burnet Centre for Medical Research project aimed at increasing institutional capacity to respond to the current HIV epidemic among injecting drug users and to develop effective, sustainable and culturally appropriate harm reduction interventions. |
|
Burnet Institute |
|
Report on the Stage 2 project, undertaken as a continuation of the original The Vietnamese Harm Reduction and IDU project. Stage 2 provided an opportunity to build on and expand earlier research findings and respond to some of the questions and issues raised by the former project. Findings from the former project indicated that patterns of drug use amongst the heroin users of Vietnamese ethnicity in the study differed significantly from Anglo-Australian users, typically found in the literature [Burnet Institute] |
|
Economic Evaluation of Hepatitis C [August 2005] |
|
The Australian Government and State and Territory Governments have committed to a variety of harm reduction, prevention and education initiatives in order to mitigate the spread of hepatitis C and other blood borne viruses. About 90% of incident cases of hepatitis C occur amongst injecting drug users (IDUs). This report is an economic evaluation of programs to control the hepatitis C epidemic [The Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing] |
|
Needle and syringe program policy and guidelines for NSW [2005] |
|
This document outlines the broad operational guidelines for Needle and Syringe Programs. It is intended as a framework within which Area Health Services can develop detailed operational guidelines appropriate to their own setting [NSW Department of Health, Australia] |
|
Pointing the Way: Harm Reduction in Kyrgyz Republic [May 2005] |
|
Unlike many countries in the former Soviet Union, Kyrgyzstan has responded to the spread of HIV infection with an aggressive plan to reduce health risks associated with drug use, including measures to protect those unable or unwilling to stop injecting drugs |
|
International Harm Reduction Development Program |
|
|
|
Harm reduction policies and programs for persons involved in the criminal justice system [May 2005] |
|
Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA), May, 2005 |
|
Protecting the Human Rights of Injecting Drug Users: The Impact of HIV and AIDS [February 2005] |
|
Compiling statements given at the 2004 session of the UN Commission on Human Rights, this IHRD-produced volume argues that unduly strict interpretation of UN drug control treaties undermines HIV prevention efforts by discouraging countries from implementing effective, realistic, and compassionate public health policies |
|
International Harm Reduction Development Program |
|
Providing access to and encouraging utilization of sterile needles and syringes for IDUs is now generally considered to be a fundamental component of any comprehensive and effective HIV-prevention programme. [World Health Organization 2004] |
|
The National HIV/AIDS Strategy 1999-2000 to 2003-2004: Changes and Challenges [2004] |
Published by Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care |
|
Evaluation of the Supervised Injection Site - Year One Summary [2004] |
|
BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, September 17, 2004 |
|
The Status Paper on Prisons, Drugs and Harm Reduction was adopted at the WHO International Meeting on Prisons and Health in De Leeuwenhorst, the Netherlands on 22 October 2004. |
|
WHO |
|
Lessons Not Learned: Human Rights Abuses and HIV/AIDS in the Russian Federation [2004] |
|
This 62-page report documents how harsh drug policies and routine police harassment of injection drug users—the population hit hardest by AIDS in Russia—impedes their access or makes them afraid to seek basic HIV-prevention services such as syringe exchange, which is available in other countries around the world |
|
Human Rights Watch HRW Index No.: D1605 April 28, 2004 |
|
A review of the evidence-base for harm reduction approaches to drug use [2003] |
|
This overview addresses both understandings of harm reduction and summarises its key principles before going on to consider the strength and nature of the evidence of the effectiveness of various forms of ‘harm reduction’ intervention. In doing so, some consideration is also given to criticisms of harm reduction that are occasionally encountered |
|
Neil Hunt, contributions from Mike Ashton, Simon Lenton, Luke Mitcheson, Bill Nelles and Gerry Stimson Forward Thinking on Drugs 2003 |
|
This Manual contains the accumulated experience of over decade of attempts to change policy and implement programs to stop HIV and other harms among drug users, collected over several years from many countries in Asia |
|
Burnet Institute |
|
Injecting Reason: Human Rights and HIV Prevention for Injection Drug Users California: A Case Study [2003] |
|
Government interference with sterile syringe programs is thwarting HIV prevention efforts in California |
|
Human Rights Watch HRW Index No.: G1502 September 9, 2003 |
|
Fanning the Flames: How Human Rights Abuses are Fueling the AIDS Epidemic in Kazakhstan [2003] |
|
Human rights abuse against injection drug users and sex workers in Kazakhstan is fueling one of the fastest growing AIDS epidemics in the world |
|
Human Rights Watch HRW Index No.: D1504 June 30, 2003 |
|
Locked Doors: The Human Rights of People Living with HIV/AIDS in China [2003] |
|
Widespread discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS is fueling the spread of the epidemic in China. This 94-page report is based on more than 30 interviews with people with HIV/AIDS, police officers, drug users, and AIDS outreach workers in Beijing, Hong Kong, and Yunnan province |
|
Human Rights Watch HRW Index No.: C1507 September 3, 2003 |
|
Abusing the User: Police Misconduct, Harm Reduction and HIV/AIDS in Vancouver [2003] |
|
An anti-drug crackdown by the Vancouver Police Department has driven injection drug users away from life-saving HIV prevention services, raising fears of a new wave of HIV transmission in the city that is already home to the worst AIDS crisis in the developed world |
|
Human Rights Watch HRW Index No.: 1502B May 7, 2003 |
Reducing the harm of drugs [2003] |
| Some have perceived a contradiction between drug prevention and treatment on the one hand and efforts to reduce the negative health and social consequences of drug use on the other. However, in a new discussion paper, UNODC says that these are in fact complementary rather than contradictory [UNODC] |
|
It has emerged from a legal study published by the Pompidou Group (1), some extracts of which are given below, that harm reduction strategies can sometimes be in contradiction with the international drug control laws. Two experimental harm reduction strategies have come up against legal barriers in this way: drug testing at rave parties and the medical prescription of heroin for relapsed drug users |
|
Professor Brice de Ruyver University of Gand, Belgium 2002 |
|
Dependent on Rights: Assessing Treatment of Drug Dependence from a Human Rights Perspective |
|
Social attitudes toward, and criminalization of, people who use illegal drugs have apparently influenced the practice and policy of treatment for drug dependence in many countries. The already precarious human rights situation of people who use drugs is compounded by the inability of a large percentage of them to receive humane, effective, timely and affordable treatment for their addiction. 46-page PDF [Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network] |
|
Sticking Points: Barriers to Access to Needle and Syringe Programs in Canada |
|
Barriers persist that prevent people who use drugs from free access to sufficient sterile injection equipment. 47-page PDF [Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network] |
|
Harm Reduction Policies and Programs for Persons of Aboriginal Descent |
|
A 20-page document created to inform the implementation of policies and programs for reducing harm associated with substance abuse by people of aboriginal descent [CCSA/CCLAT, Canada] |
|
International Human Rights Jurisprudence on Issues Relating to Drug Use and Harm Reduction |
|
Commissioned by the Open Society Institute Law and Health Initiative, this research paper reviews jurisprudence from treaty-monitoring bodies of the United Nations and selected regional and national human rights courts that can be used to advocate for the human rights of people who use drugs. 24-page PDF [Open Society Institute, USA] |
|
HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care, Treatment and Support in Prison Settings |
|
A Framework for an Effective National Response. 50-page PDF [WHO/UNAIDS] |
|
This 57-page PDF report found that routine police harassment and arrest – as well as the lasting effects of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s 2003 drug war – keeps drug users from receiving lifesaving HIV information and services that Thailand has pledged to provide [Human Rights Watch] |
|
AIDS in South Asia: Understanding and Responding to a Heterogeneous Epidemic |
|
A 131-page PDF report analyzing South Asia's HIV/AIDS epidemic and offering recommendations for halting its spread [World Bank, UNODC] |
|
Return on Investment in Needle and Syringe Programs in Australia - Report |
|
The study updates and expands a study previously undertaken by Hurley, Jolley and Kaldor which investigated the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of needle and syringe programs in relation to HIV/AIDS |
|
The Vietnamese Injecting Drug Use & Harm Reduction Study: Stage 1 |
|
In 1995, the Centre for Harm Reduction conducted a collaborative, exploratory study, the VIDU study, as the beginning of a program of research, specifically targeting Vietnamese IDUs. The study was the first of its kind in Victoria, Australia and the first to document extremely high rates of HCV in this group |
|
Burnet Institute |
|
Report on capacity building for HIV prevention among injecting drug users |
|
Burnet Institute |
|
A Report of the National Needle Exchange Survey [NHS - Scotland, UK] |
|
Position paper - Australian National Council on Drugs |
|
The report - which follows the release of a 2005 report that says WHO missed its 3 by 5 Initiative target - identifies future collaboration opportunities between WHO and partners and gives recommendations for the "way forward" [WHO] |
|
Substitution maintenance therapy in the management of opioid dependence and HIV/AIDS prevention |
|
WHO/UNODC/UNAIDS position paper |
|
5 Policy briefs [WHO] |
|
The Report of the Independent Working Group on Drug Consumption Rooms |
|
A detailed examination of whether Drug Consumption Rooms (DCRs) should be introduced in the UK [JRF, UK] |
|
Legislating for Health and Human Rights: Model Law on Drug Use and HIV/AIDS |
|
Many countries with injection-driven HIV/AIDS epidemics continue to emphasize criminal enforcement of drug laws over public health approaches, thereby missing or even hindering effective responses to HIV/AIDS. There is considerable evidence that numerous interventions to prevent HIV transmission and reduce other harms associated with injection drug use are feasible, effective as public health measures and cost-effective [Aidslaw, Canada] |
|
Preventing HIV Infection among Injecting Drug Users in High Risk Countries |
|
An Assessment of the Evidence - a free online publication authored by the Board on Global Health (BGH) and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) [National Academic Press, USA] |
|
Monitoring Drug Policy Outcomes: The Measurement of Drug Related Harm |
|
This latest Report from the Beckley Foundation Drug Policy Programme looks at the various attempts by governments and academic institutions to develop a methodology for assessing and measuring the level of drug related harm, in order to better understand the impact of illegal drug use on society, and of policies and programmes that aim to reduce that impact |
|
Closed to Reason: The International Narcotic Board and HIV/AIDS |
|
A 37-page report arguing that the International Narcotics Board hampers efforts to address the HIV epidemic among injecting drug users [Policy Pointers Worldwide] |
|
Hepatitis C in prisons is a public health crisis tied to current drug policy's emphasis on the mass incarceration of drug users. Prison policy acts as a barrier to hepatitis C care by limiting medical care for the infected, especially drug users, and by inhibiting public health measures addressing the epidemic [SSRN / University of California, Los Angeles - School of Law, USA] |
|
How Effective is Micro Harm Reduction in Reducing Macro Harm? |
|
MacCoun (1996) distinguishes between micro and macro harm reduction and notes that reducing micro harm (harm per unit of use) may or may not reduce macro (aggregate) harm depending on its effect on use. We present a simple model that relates micro and macro harm through five parameters: price, quantity, elasticity of demand, elasticity of supply, and the social cost of drug use. Parameterizing the relationship for the US cocaine market in 1992 suggests that about 75% of the apparent benefit of reducing micro harm experienced by users would be offset by increases in use. This suggests that reducing micro harm experienced by users has merit but that reducing the costs drugs impose on non-users may merit greater attention, since reducing those costs carries no risk of being offset by increases in use |
|
Jonathan P. Caulkins Carnegie Mellon, Heinz School |
|
HIV/AIDS and Drug Misuse in Russia: Harm Reduction Programmes and the Russian Legal System |
|
Professor Butler’s report breaks new ground in the HIV/AIDS prevention literature by reviewing harm reduction initiatives and programmes in the context of Russian and international law. |
|
International Family Health |
|
Lessons from a Comprehensive Review of International Evidence and Experience 109-page PDF [Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network] |
|
The 84-page report, “Rhetoric and Risk: Human Rights Abuses Impeding Ukraine’s Fight Against HIV/AIDS,” documents how draconian drug laws and routine police abuse of injection drug users – the population hardest hit by HIV/AIDS in Ukraine – keep them from receiving lifesaving HIV information and services that the government has pledged to provide [Human Rights watch, USA] |
|
Until recently, the UK was the only country in the world that allowed doctors to prescribe heroin for the treatment of opiate dependence. The Government wants heroin prescribing to increase and to be made available to all those who have a clinical need for it. This report, by Gerry Stimson and Nicky Metrebian from the Centre for Research on Drugs and Health Behaviour at Imperial College, looks at the reasons for international interest in prescribing heroin. It critically examines the research, clinical, political and practical challenges to expanding heroin prescribing in the UK |
|
Gerry V. Stimson and Nicky Metrebian Joseph Rowntree Foundation (ISBN 1 85935 082 8) |
|
Key documents on HIV prevention and care for Injecting Drug Users |
|
The (Australian) National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre has recently assessed the top 50 papers on harm reduction and HIV. Eighteen topics were covered [International Harm Reduction Association] |
|
Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS and Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS: focus on progress over the past 12 months - Report of the Secretary-Genera. 23-page PDF l [United Nations] |
|
Dependent on Rights: Assessing Treatment of Drug Dependence from a Human Rights Perspective |
|
Social attitudes toward, and criminalization of, people who use illegal drugs have apparently influenced the practice and policy of treatment for drug dependence in many countries. The already precarious human rights situation of people who use drugs is compounded by the inability of a large percentage of them to receive humane, effective, timely and affordable treatment for their addiction. 46-page PDF [Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network] |
|
HIV/AIDS in prisons in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union |
|
This info sheet reviews what is known about HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C in prisons, with a focus on Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. (28-page PDF) [Aidslaw, Canada] |
|
The 84-page report, “Rhetoric and Risk: Human Rights Abuses Impeding Ukraine’s Fight Against HIV/AIDS,” documents how draconian drug laws and routine police abuse of injection drug users – the population hardest hit by HIV/AIDS in Ukraine – keep them from receiving lifesaving HIV information and services that the government has pledged to provide [Human Rights watch, USA] |
|
Report of the 8th European Conference of Drug and HIV/AIDS Services in Prison 149-page PDF [ENDIPP, Europe] |
|
Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS and Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS: focus on progress over the past 12 months - Report of the Secretary-Genera. 23-page PDF l [United Nations] |
|
[WHO] |
