Provides a concise understanding of the nature of organised criminal involvement in the Australian methylamphetamine market Australian Crime Commission
Bibliography: All Publications
EU Alcohol Strategy report published
The European Union must act to combat alcohol-related harm, a Lords report urges. New action by the EU should focus on measures it can take itself rather than relying on Member State action alone (Parliament, UK)
Action against head shops
Advice for local authorities and other public bodies on the types of offences head shops may be committing, and guidance and recommendations (Home Office)
Action against head shops
Advice for local authorities and other public bodies on the types of offences head shops may be committing, and guidance and recommendations (Home Office)
UN Ketamine Vote Could Spark Public Health Crisis in Developing World
The Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) in Vienna will soon decide between two opposite proposals by China and the World Health Organization (WHO) concerning the international control of ketamine, an essential anaesthetic in human and veterinary medicine (Talking Drugs)
Public Health England invests £10million in drug and alcohol recovery services
Public Health England (PHE) has announced the successful applicants for £10 million of capital funding for services that are helping people in England with drug or alcohol problems to recover from their addiction. Over 50 projects across England, in partnership with local authorities, will receive grants from PHE
AMCD briefing on the prevention of drug and alcohol dependence
The Recovery Committee of the government’s Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs have produced a balanced and useful overview of the state of knowledge on preventing drug and alcohol dependence (DrugScope)
Report of the International Narcotics Control Board for 2014
The international community will continue to count on the drug control treaties, international instruments that have withstood the test of time and remain relevant to addressing future challenges. All that is required is the continued commitment of all States to act in concert in the e?ective implementation of those instruments (INCB)
No let-up in drive to combat ‘legal highs
Coalition government takes range of action to respond to challenges of new psychoactive substances (Home Office)
Maps show the hard drug trade in remarkable detail
One glance at the size and scope of the drug business suggests it may always be unwinnable (Business Insider)
ACMD advice on nitrous oxide abuse
The chair of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) writes to Theresa May about nitrous oxide abuse (AMCD)
A Measure of Change
The impact of the public health transfer on local alcohol provision (Alcohol Concern)
Drugs and driving: the law
It’s an offence to drive if you have over the specified limits of certain drugs in your blood and you haven’t been prescribed them (UK Government)
WHO calls for worldwide use of “smart” syringes
The World Health Organization is launching a new policy on injection safety and a global campaign with support from the IKEA Foundation and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to help all countries tackle the pervasive issue of unsafe injections (WHO)
Drug strategy annual review: 2014 to 2015
The third annual review of the drug strategy, ‘A Balanced Approach’, updates progress on the 3 strands of the strategy since December 2013 (Home Office)
A change to the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971: control of MT-45 and 4,4’-DMAR
This circular draws attention to the contents of the Statutory Instruments S.I. 2015/215, S.I. 2015/232 and S.I. 2015/231 which come into force at 00:01 on 11 March 2015 (Home Office)
Casualties of War
How the War on Drugs is harming the world’s poorest (Health Poverty Action)
CND decision to schedule ketamine would undermine WHO treaty mandate
The UN Commission considers to bring ketamine under the control of the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances contrary to WHO recommendations (Global Drug Policy Observatory)
HIV sweeps across eastern Europe amid economic crisis
HIV is spreading at a dangerous rate in nations around the Black Sea, passing a record 100,000 new cases yearly (euobserver)
Comparative risk assessment of alcohol, tobacco, cannabis and other illicit drugs using the margin of exposure approach
The toxicological margin of exposure (MOE) approach validates epidemiological and social science-based drug ranking approaches especially in regard to the positions of alcohol and tobacco (high risk) and cannabis (low risk) (Scientific Reports)
Way forward to tackle NPS
Expert Review Group reports back on new ways to tackle ‘legal highs’(Scottish Government)
ChemSex and HCV transmission among UK MSM
Before health professionals can communicate effectively with these clients about the potentially stigma-laden issue of HCV they need to develop an awareness of the various elements of risk in the ChemSex environment (BMJ)
Take-home naloxone for opioid overdose in people who use drugs
Advice for local authorities and local partners on promoting the wider availability of naloxone to reduce overdose deaths from heroin and similar drugs (PHE)
WHO calls for worldwide use of “smart” syringes
The World Health Organization is launching a new policy on injection safety and a global campaign with support from the IKEA Foundation and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to help all countries tackle the pervasive issue of unsafe injections (WHO)
ChemSex and HCV transmission among UK MSM
Before health professionals can communicate effectively with these clients about the potentially stigma-laden issue of HCV they need to develop an awareness of the various elements of risk in the ChemSex environment (BMJ)
Family Drug and Alcohol Court to extend nationwide
Courts that help families affected by drug and alcohol misuse to open in new areas, thanks to government backing worth £2.5 million (Department for Education)
Prevention of drug and alcohol dependence
The (ACMD) Recovery Committee’s briefing paper on the prevention of drug and alcohol dependence
A change to the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971: control of MT-45 and 4,4’-DMAR
This circular draws attention to the contents of the Statutory Instruments S.I. 2015/215, S.I. 2015/232 and S.I. 2015/231 which come into force at 00:01 on 11 March 2015 (Home Office)
‘Legal highs’ incidents up more than 150 per cent in a year, say police
The number of police incidents involving ‘legal highs’ has almost trebled across England in a year )Centre for Social Justice)
CND decision to schedule ketamine would undermine WHO treaty mandate
The UN Commission considers to bring ketamine under the control of the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances contrary to WHO recommendations (Global Drug Policy Observatory)
‘Legal highs’ incidents up more than 150 per cent in a year, say police
The number of police incidents involving ‘legal highs’ has almost trebled across England in a year )Centre for Social Justice)
Family Drug and Alcohol Court to extend nationwide
Courts that help families affected by drug and alcohol misuse to open in new areas, thanks to government backing worth £2.5 million (Department for Education)
Alcohol-related Deaths in the United Kingdom, Registered in 2013
This bulletin presents alcohol-related death figures for the UK, its constituent countries and regions of England for 2013 (Office of National Statistics)
Ketamine: rescheduling and patient group directions
‘Ketamine: rescheduling and patient group directions’ provides further advice from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) to the Home Secretary
Global State of Harm Reduction 2014
The data gathered for the report provided a critical baseline against which progress could be measured in terms of international, regional and national recognition of harm reduction in policy and practice (Harm Reduction International)
Ketamine: rescheduling and patient group directions
‘Ketamine: rescheduling and patient group directions’ provides further advice from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) to the Home Secretary
Global State of Harm Reduction 2014
The data gathered for the report provided a critical baseline against which progress could be measured in terms of international, regional and national recognition of harm reduction in policy and practice (Harm Reduction International)
A Mapping of Global Prevention Materials
Celebrating Good Practice and Identifying Significant Gaps (Prevention Hub)
ECDC and EMCDDA release a joint rapid risk assessment on wound botulism among people who inject heroin
The two EU agencies will continue to monitor the situation through their respective early warning systems (EMCDDA)
INCB warns against weakening the international drugcontrol legal framework
At the opening of its 112th Session on Monday, the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) once again cautioned the members of the international community of the public health risks associated with the adoption of legislative and policy measures which are inconsistent with the provisions of the three United Nations drug control conventions (UNIS)
