The study aims to identify recent findings regarding psychosocial determinants of cannabis dependence and to summarize them systematically.

Evidence indicates that detention of people who use drugs in compulsory centers in the name of treatment is common in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Lisbon Addictions 2015. Including conference round-up, minimum quality standards for drug demand reduction interventions in the EU, EMCDDA scientific paper award and new EMCDDA products and services.

A new report published by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) says high quality drug treatment for heroin users is cost-effective and benefits both individuals and society.

Gen Sander, Human Rights Research Analyst at Harm Reduction International, says that states have both a public health duty and a human rights obligation to tackle spread of infectious disease in closed settings.

The Psychoactive Substances Bill, which is currently proceeding through the UK Parliament, will (if enacted) create a ‘blanket ban’ on the production, importation, exportation and supply of all psychoactive substances for human consumption, except for those that are specifically exempted.

Strengthening global drug policy at the 2016 United Nations General Assembly Special Session on the World Drug Problem

US guidelines for the treatment of hepatitis C developed by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the Infectious Diseases Society of America have been updated to recommend direct-acting antiviral treatment for everyone with hepatitis C, regardless of disease stage.

A global review of the harm reduction response to amphetamines: A 2015 update discusses the emerging responses to amphetamine-related harms and considers the next steps for the international harm reduction community.

New recommendations on hepatitis C treatment and care for people who inject drugs encourage physicians to offer treatment to all people who inject drugs diagnosed with HCV, and to offer a comprehensive package of social support and harm reduction to enable people to adhere to treatment.

Palliative care relieves physical, psychosocial and spiritual suffering and improves quality of life.

This analysis report has been developed following the board of science’s call for evidence undertaken in March 2014. It aims to provide a platform for action to improve the prevention, identification and management of dependence and withdrawal associated with prescribed drugs.

The emphasis on prohibition has done little to control the production, or consumption of drugs. These policies have failed because the factors driving thousands of people to join illicit drug markets are deep and structural.

In this new fourth edition of HRI's 'Global Overview' series, HRI updates previous research on the death penalty for drugs in law and practice worldwide, and also considers critical developments on the issue.

Health status, risk behaviours and service utilisation among homeless people in two Irish cities.

The term ‘chemsex’ means ‘sex while using drugs’. This booklet gives practical advice about safer drug taking, and how to lower the chance of sexual health risks when mixing drugs and sex.

On 14 September 2015, the Council of the European Union adopted Council conclusions on the implementation of minimum quality standards in drug demand reduction in the EU. This innovative initiative lists 16 standards that represent a minimum benchmark of quality for interventions in: drug use prevention, risk and harm reduction, treatment, social integration and rehabilitation.

Global health policy will enter a new era later this month as world leaders adopt the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs.) SDGs should include a set of specific commitments to respond to the drugs issue and provide a frame for the basis of next year's United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on the world drug problem.

Prisons are one of the most important settings to provide interventions aimed at drug users, both in terms of treatment and harm reduction.

The EMCDDA defines misuse of medicines the use of a psychoactive medicine with or without a prescription from an appropriate practitioner, clearly outside of accepted medical practice or guidelines, for either self-medication, recreational or enhancement purposes, including in the context of poly drug use.

A report written for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Prescribed Medicine Dependency.

When people who are receiving methadone maintenance treatment for opioid dependence are incarcerated in prison or jail, most US correctional facilities discontinue their methadone treatment. This discontinuation can cause uncomfortable symptoms of withdrawal and renders prisoners susceptible to relapse and overdose on release.

This article seeks to expose the tensions between the enforcement of drug laws and human rights.

The year 2015 is a landmark year for the United Nations: not only is it the Organization's 70th anniversary, but critically for the future, it sets out an ambitious new agenda and benchmarks, aiming to steer the course of the world towards sustainable development - this by 2030.

Harm reduction is an evidence-based, effective response to HIV transmission and other harms faced by people who inject drugs, and is explicitly supported by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. This study represents an updated, comprehensive assessment of Global Fund investments in harm reduction from 2002 to 2014.

A new report from amfAR, assesses the state of harm reduction worldwide by focusing on the steps that five sample countries; Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, Ukraine, and Vietnam, have, or have not, taken to address the HIV epidemic among people who inject drugs (PWID).

This report aims to evaluate an Opioid Substitution Therapy Pilot Program (OSTPP) in Kabul, particularly to describe characteristics of the participants and identify factors associated with client retention.

Slideshow information from Public Health England and the National Infection Service.

In recent years, there has been a notable increase in the use of new psychoactive substances (NPS) which have been marketed as “legal highs”. This virtual issue draws together recent papers from Drug and Alcohol Review on the topic of NPS, including the fluidity of the market for these substances, the extent of their use and the potential consequences of their use.

Authors assessed the association between mortality and lifetime substance use disorder in patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or unipolar depression.