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Perspectives on Drugs (PODs)

Displaying 1 - 20 of 25

Publications

The EU drugs strategy: a model for common action

07.10.2019

On the basis of an external evaluation of the EU drugs strategy 2005-12, on 7 December 2012 the Justice and Home Affairs Council of the European Union endorsed a new EU drugs strategy (2013-20). The strategy was designed to be implemented by two consecutive 4-year action plans. An external...

Publications

Preventing overdose deaths in Europe (Perspectives on drugs)

03.10.2018

More than 9 000 lives were reported to be lost to drug overdoses in Europe (28 EU Member States, Turkey and Norway) in 2016, the latest reporting year, and this is an underestimate. Reducing drug-related deaths therefore remains a major challenge for public health policy. This analysis describes...

Publications

Drug consumption rooms: an overview of provision and evidence (Perspectives on drugs)

07.06.2018

Supervised drug consumption facilities, where illicit drugs can be used under the supervision of trained staff, have been operating in Europe for the last three decades. These facilities primarily aim to reduce the acute risks of disease transmission through unhygienic injecting, prevent drug-...

Publications

The misuse of benzodiazepines among high-risk opioid users in Europe (Perspectives on drugs)

04.06.2018

Benzodiazepines are a widely prescribed group of medicines with a range of clinical uses, including the treatment of anxiety and insomnia and the management of alcohol withdrawal. For a number of reasons this group of medicines are often misused by high-risk opioid users and are associated with...

Publications

Synthetic cannabinoids in Europe (Perspectives on drugs)

06.06.2017

Synthetic cannabinoids represent the largest group of substances currently monitored in Europe by the EMCCDA through the EU Early Warning System. Current knowledge on these substances and trends in production, availability, use and harms are presented in this analysis. Part of the ‘Perspectives on...

Publications

Changes in Europe’s cannabis resin market (Perspectives on drugs)

06.06.2017

The European market for hashish is currently one of the world’s largest and most profitable. About 647 tonnes of cannabis herb and 641 tonnes of hashish were consumed in the European Union in 2013 and the retail market has an overall value estimated conservatively to be about EUR 9.3 billion in...

Publications

Health responses to new psychoactive substances (Perspectives on Drugs)

24.06.2016

The emergence of new psychoactive substances (NPS) over the last decade has posed a major challenge to drug policy. While the limited available data indicates that prevalence levels of NPS use are relatively low in the general European population, there are concerns around more problematic forms of...

Publications

Cocaine trafficking to Europe (Perspectives on drugs)

31.05.2016

Cocaine is Europe’s most commonly used illicit stimulant drug, with about 3.6 million adults (aged 15–64) estimated to have used it in the last year. It is the second most seized drug in Europe, after cannabis. Cocaine is trafficked to Europe from the producer countries of South America by both air...

Publications

Models for the legal supply of cannabis: recent developments (Perspectives on drugs)

31.05.2016

Three United Nations Conventions provide the international legal framework on drug control, instructing countries to limit drug supply and use to medical and scientific purposes. Yet, debate is increasing on the legalisation of drugs for non-medical purposes, particularly cannabis. Models under...

Publications

Hepatitis C treatment for injecting drug users (Perspectives on drugs)

31.05.2016

Transmitted through the sharing of needles, syringes and other injecting equipment, hepatitis C is the most common infectious disease among injecting drug users in Europe today.In this analysis, the EMCDDA looks at some of the positive advances in treating the disease, including a new generation of...

Publications

Legal approaches to controlling new psychoactive substances (Perspectives on drugs)

31.05.2016

The number and diversity of new psychoactive substances reported in Europe in recent years represents a major challenge for Europe’s policymakers. This analysis looks at countries’ legal responses to the new drugs phenomenon. Part of the ‘Perspectives on drugs’ (PODs) series, launched alongside...

Publications

The role of psychosocial interventions in drug treatment (Perspectives on drugs)

31.05.2016

Psychosocial interventions are structured psychological or social interventions used to address substance-related problems. They can be used at different stages of drug treatment to identify the problem, treat it and assist with social reintegration. Psychosocial interventions are used to treat...

Publications

Comorbidity of substance use and mental health disorders in Europe (Perspectives on drugs)

31.05.2016

Comorbidity of substance use and mental health disorders refers to the co-occurrence of a substance use disorder and another mental health disorder in the same individual. In Europe, the presence of psychiatric disorders associated with substance use disorders has become an important issue in drug...

Publications

Strategies to prevent diversion of opioid substitution treatment medications (Perspectives on drugs)

31.05.2016

The use of substitution drugs for the treatment of opioid dependence represents a key evidence-based response to heroin problems in Europe. However, the diversion of these medicines from their intended use in drug treatment to non-medical use and sale on illicit drug markets is a cause for concern...

Publications

Characteristics of frequent and high-risk cannabis users (Perspectives on drugs)

04.06.2015

Cannabis is Europe’s most commonly used illicit drug, with around 20 million adults (15–64 years) having used it in the last year; around 3 million on a daily, or almost daily, basis. This analysis explores the characteristics of frequent and high-risk cannabis users and reflects on how examination...

Publications

Opioid trafficking routes from Asia to Europe (Perspectives on drugs)

04.06.2015

Imported heroin has historically been available in Europe in two forms, the most common being brown heroin (its chemical base form), originating mainly in Afghanistan and other countries in south-west Asia. Less common is white heroin (a salt form), which historically came from south-east Asia but...

Publications

Injection of synthetic cathinones (Perspectives on drugs)

04.06.2015

Over 80 synthetic cathinone derivatives were detected via the EU Early Warning System (EU–EWS) between 2005 and 2014. This analysis explores new worrying localised and national outbreaks of injecting these substances and recommends close monitoring of the issue as a public health priority. Part of...

Publications

Synthetic drug production in Europe (Perspectives on drugs)

04.06.2015

Synthetic drugs have been produced illicitly in Europe for over 40 years and, by global standards, Europe remains a significant producer today. Described in this analysis are current trends in illicit synthetic drug production in Europe and some of the challenges faced by law enforcement in this...

Publications

Treatment for cocaine dependence — reviewing current evidence (Perspectives on drugs)

27.05.2015

The EMCDDA has carried out a meta-analysis of six reviews examining the effectiveness of medications used in treating cocaine problems. The original reviews, undertaken by the Cochrane Drugs and Alcohol Group, involved 92 studies (85 in the US) and over 7 000 participants. This 'Perspective on...

Publications

Emergency health consequences of cocaine use in Europe (Perspectives on drugs)

15.05.2015

Several thousands of cocaine-related emergencies are reported in Europe every year, representing a considerable burden on services. In this analysis, the EMCDDA studies the type of cocaine-related problems reported and the potential of using hospital emergency data for monitoring acute problems...

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