Publications database

This tool lets you examine and compare the penalties or rehabilitative responses for the core offences of drug use, possession for personal use, and supply-related offences, across countries in Europe. It also allows you to see how the laws vary those penalties according to the type or quantity of...

The elimination barometer for hepatitis B and C among people who inject drugs is designed to support countries affiliated to the EMCDDA in monitoring their progress towards the Sustainable Development Goal 3.3 and the elimination of viral hepatitis as a major public health threat by 2030. Under...

Under international laws, cultivation, supply and possession of cannabis should be allowed only for ‘medical and scientific purposes’. In general, possession of the drug for personal use should be a crime, to deter use, and most countries make this punishable by imprisonment. In recent years,...

This publication describes some of the factors that increase the risk of fatal and non-fatal overdoses and a number of interventions developed to prevent these events. Worldwide, overdose is the leading cause of avoidable death among people who inject drugs. It accounts for nearly half of all...

This list of frequently asked questions (FAQ) answers some of the common questions on the background, use, application and interpretation of wastewater-based epidemiology.  Wastewater analysis is a rapidly developing scientific discipline with potential for monitoring real-time data on...

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is the most common infectious disease in people who inject drugs, among whom it is usually transmitted through the sharing of syringes and other drug use equipment. Most of those who become infected go on to develop chronic HCV infection, which can lead to severe...

This Topic overview aims to summarise the information and simplify comparison between quantity limits for possession and supply offences involving the four most common drugs. Separate tables are given: quantities established for personal possession offences and quantities established for supply...