A short film by Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (HCLU) about Washington's initiative 502 (I-502) "on marijuana reform".

Presentation from Dr Adam Bourne, Stigma Research, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

This paper describes how the Tanzania AIDS Prevention Program (TAPP), Médecins du Monde France (MdM-F), and other organisations have been at the forefront of addressing HIV/AIDS in Tanzania, implementing a wide array of harm reduction interventions including medication-assisted treatment , needle and syringe programs , and “sober houses” for residential treatment in the capital, Dar es Salaam, and in Zanzibar.

Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) Recovery Committee's first report is "the result of an exercise to scope the evidence, or lack thereof, for the many and complex factors that may contribute to recovery from drug or alcohol dependence. The report highlights that recovery from dependence on drugs and alcohol is a complex, and rarely linear process. The journey to overcome dependence, re-integrate into society and achieve a degree of well-being and social integration is highly individual to the person."

This briefing paper by IDPC reviews current policies and practices that have been implemented in response to the use of controlled drugs in Indonesia, and highlights some of the key challenges and issues that remain. The paper also offers policy recommendations for addressing those challenges.

This briefing by Count the Costs summarizes "the global war on drugs has been fought for 50 years, without preventing the long-term trend of increasing drug supply and use beyond this failure, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has identified many serious negative “unintended consequences” of the drug war – including the stigma and discrimination faced by a range of populations these costs are distinct from those relating to drug use, stemming as they do from the choice of a punitive enforcement-led approach that, by its nature, criminalizes many users – often the most vulnerable in society"

Featured articles include, Quality of Care Provided to Patients Receiving Opioid Maintenance Treatment in Europe: Results from the EQUATOR analysis, Outcomes of opioid-dependence treatment across Europe: identifying opportunities for improvement and more.

Editorial by Dr Evan Wood (IDHDP Patron)

Study conducted by Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS) and University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) examied "he efficacy of a stigma reduction intervention among 507 medical students from across Puerto Rico, which showed gendered differences in stigma"

The guidance encompasses general awareness raising for the population as a whole, for those at increased risk of infection and for healthcare professionals and others providing services for those at increased risk of hepatitis B and C.

Editorial in the Lancet by Tony Kirby and Michelle Thornber-Dunwell.

In this report, Youth RISE explores and identifies important recommendations for how to reduce the harms faced by young people who use NPS, including “legal highs” and other unscheduled substances available both online and at local drug paraphernalia shops.

The Health Protection Agency has published an updated Eye of the Needle report showing there has been an increase in the number of significant occupational exposures in recent years. Between 2002 and 2011, 4381 significant occupational exposures were reported, increasing from 276 in 2002 to 541 in 2011.

Immediately prior to the opening of the 2012 International AIDS Conference, amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, and the International AIDS Society convened a day-long meeting to review available evidence on effective strategies to combat HIV among people who use drugs. This report summarizes the outcomes of this meeting.

This issue highlights news, upcoming conferences, new publications, and more.

This study explores the systemic barriers to accessing ART among people who inject drugs (PWID) in Ekaterinburg, Russia a large burden of HIV treatment demand. It involved 42 in-depth qualitative interviews with people living with HIV with current or recent experience of injecting drug use. Accounts were analysed thematically, and supplemented here with an illustrative case study.

A blog from Alex Stevens assesses the situation in Portugal, noting that while decriminalisation has coincided with a fall in the most problematic forms of drug use, it is not the only factor. The expansion of drug treatments and the Portuguese welfare state have also played a role, illustrating the importance of improving social and health policies in addition to decriminalisation.

Narrated by Morgan Freeman, this groundbreaking new documentary uncovers the UN sanctioned war on drugs, charting its origins and its devastating impact on countries like the USA, Colombia and Russia. Featuring prominent statesmen including Presidents Clinton and Carter, the film follows The Global Commission on Drug Policy on a mission to break the political taboo and expose the biggest failure of global policy in the last 50 years.

IDHDP Patron Julio Montaner gives an overview of HIV and HCV treatment and prevention.

The Home Affairs Committee published its first report on drugs in a decade. After a wide-ranging and in-depth inquiry lasting a year and examining all areas of UK drug policy, the Committee has called for a Royal Commission on the issue.

Narrated Gael Garcia Bernal, this groundbreaking new documentary uncovers the UN sanctioned war on drugs, charting its origins and its devastating impact on countries like the USA, Colombia and Russia. Featuring prominent statesmen including Presidents Clinton and Carter, the film follows The Global Commission on Drug Policy on a mission to break the political taboo and expose the biggest failure of global policy in the last 50 years.

Resolution by the Puerto Rican College of Physicians and Surgeons and several public health professionals stating that substance misuse is a chronic health condition. (document in Spanish)

An editorial by Michel Kazatchkine for World AIDS day.

This issue highlights IDHDP activities, upcoming conferences, new publications, and more.

Methadone maintenance treatment is evidenced as a successful harm reduction initiative in regard to the prevention of blood borne viruses and other injecting related harms. This is attributable to reductions in heroin use and injecting equipment sharing incidents, yet the means by which these are achieved are rarely elaborated.

This briefing by International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) aims to highlight the effects of drug policy on women as producers, suppliers and consumers of drugs in order to inform and guide policy makers on practices that should be avoided, as well as highlight those policies which effectively incorporate and address women’s needs.

The Drugs, Security and Democracy (DSD) fellowship program supports research on drug policy, citizen security and democratic governance, as well as associated topics across the social sciences and related disciplines. Applications close on 20 January 2013.

Adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are less likely to commit criminal offences when taking treatment for the condition, research conducted in Sweden has shown.

This EU Drugs Strategy provides the overarching political framework and priorities for EU drugs policy identified by Member States and EU institutions, for the period 2013-2020. The framework, aim and objectives of this Strategy will serve as a basis for two consecutive 4 year EU Drugs Action plans.

Harm Reduction International’s eye-opening report identifies 33 countries or territories that still retain the death penalty for drug offenses, including 13 where the sentence is mandatory, and documents the laws in place as well as how frequently the sanctions are applied.