People who have experienced trauma are over-represented within the problem drug-using population. Scottish Drugs Forum’s 2012 conference on self-medication explored the complex relationship between substance use and trauma-coping. But how can treatment services respond to this phenomenon?

Frontline Response to Trauma: a key to recovery

 will see the official national launch of a major report on trauma and recovery among injecting drug users, a partnership between SDF and Professor Richard Hammersley.

One of the key conclusions of this Big Lottery-funded research is:

‘Drug services need to be more trauma-minded, focusing less on drugs and more on underlying traumas and life difficulties.’

Frontline Response to Trauma: a key to recovery 

takes up this challenge and looks at how capacity can be built within frontline drug services to:

Identify clients who have experienced trauma and whose drug
use is, at least in part, a form of trauma-coping

Explore and make explicit the links between drug use and trauma
with clients

Develop appropriate and effective frontline responses to these
clients’ needs

Work in partnership with specialist mental health services when
appropriate

Management and staff of frontline drug services

Those involved in planning, designing and commissioning
services

Alcohol and Drug Partnership Boards and staff

Staff and management of services working with problem drug users in criminal justice, family, housing, homelessness and other settings.?

 for more details on the conference and the venue.

Keep up-to-date with drug policy developments by subscribing to the IDPC Monthly Alert.

Frontline Response to Trauma: A key to recovery

The Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol & other Drugs (APSAD) is the Asia Pacific's leading multidisciplinary organisation for professionals involved in the alcohol and other drug field. The destination for this year's conference is Brisbane and will take place 24– 27 November.

This conference will feature an exciting program which includes international and national speakers, focusing on new treatment, prevention and policy in the areas of drugs and alcohol research. The conference will include local issues and content relevant to our region, but will also offer a range of presentations and workshops that have international relevance. Featuring original work from the field, the conference program will continue to encourage alternative presentation styles such as film, yarning circles and artwork whilst maintaining conventional modes of presentation such as oral and poster presentations, participatory workshops, debates/discussions and late breakers. This year we will also be targeting clinicians and front line workers, with translational research as well as continuing to include the latest content from criminal justice system interventions, workforce development, research, and health policy, to mention just a few topic areas.

Keep up-to-date with drug policy developments by subscribing to the 

Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs scientific conference 2013

This seminar will explore harm reduction from both a policy and practical perspective.

Keep up-to-date with drug policy developments by subscribing to the IDPC Monthly Alert

Online certificate course in harm reduction at York University

ICAAP 11 aims to create a “Game Change” impact on the HIV/AIDS response in Asia and the Pacific region by providing a forum where innovative and evidence-based research programmes and policies to combat HIV/AIDS are exhibited to generate and reinforce public attention on the issues. The ultimate goal of ICAAP 11 is to advance effective and sustainable response to HIV/AIDS in the region.

For further information on ICAAP 11 please 

The ICAAP events that IDPC is organising, or co-organising, are:

Let’s talk about drugs—role of the media in combating stigma and discrimination against people who use drugs

Time: 1000-1100 ; Venue: IDU Networking Zone

Drug policy advocacy in Thailand—launch of the new civil society strategy

Co-organised with Foundation for AIDS Rights (Thailand), Thai Drug Users Network, 12D (Thai civil society coalition on harm reduction) & PSI Thailand Foundation – Discussion

Time 1000-1100 ; Venue: IDU Networking Zone

Support Don’t Punish: Rights-based and evidence-informed policies on drug use and HIV risks

 Thursday, 21st November 2013, 14:00-15:30,

The session will discuss drug control policies that drive stigma and discrimination against people who use drugs in terms of access to HIV prevention services. It will highlight efforts to reform punitive laws and practices relating to drug use, as well as initiatives to enhance the involvement of people who use drugs and civil society organisations in policy processes – in line with a ‘Support Don’t Punish’ ethos.

This IDPC session includes the launch of two IDPC reports, 

Drug control and harm reduction in Thailand

Global drug policy developments relevant to access of people who use drugs to HIV-related services: Challenges and opportunities. Ann Fordham, Executive Director, International Drug Policy Consortium

Regional trends in HIV and drug use policies, and the importance of ASEAN, Fifa Rahman, Policy Manager, Malaysian AIDS Council

Empowering people who use drugs: the significance of capacity building initiatives and meaningful participation, Mr. Bijay Pandey, Chairperson of Executive Board, Asian Network of People who Use Drugs

Drug policy developments, harm reduction and civil society advocacy in Thailand Ms. Supatra Nacapew, Director, Foundation for AIDS Rights, Thailand

Dr. Monica Beg, Chief, HIV/AIDS Section, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

International Drug Policy Consortium Members Meeting

IDPC members: this is a tentative time and venue. Please, advise Gloria Lai (glai@idpc.net) if this time does not suit you. We would really appreciate the chance to meet with you.

Time: 1630 - 1730 ; Venue: IDU Networking Zone

UN General Assembly Special Session 2016: Regional priorities for civil society

Co-organised by Harm Reduction International – Time: 1000 – 1100 ; Venue: IDU Networking Zone

Please advise Gloria Lai (glai@idpc.net) as soon as possible if you would like to join but this time is not suitable.

More about Support. Don't Punish at the IDU Networking Zone activities at ICAAP 2013

In IDU – Networking Zone will be arrange as a relaxing area which will provide all-day Tea, Coffee, water and snack serving. We will decorate with cozy, comfy and down-to-earth atmosphere. We open this zone as a “Dialogue Space” , which everyone can discuss, exchange ideas, input experiences of works in different regions to each other. We will decorate with big cushions, low coffee table some of sofa and will have counter for anyone who can do the “Self-service” for the favorite drink.

For the panel, will need 3-4 chairs for the speakers, and moderators, microphone, and amplifier will be set up and decorate with green trees in order to create the friendly atmosphere for everyone. There will be a poster and sign to show our campaign “Support. Don‟t Punish”

Will have a corner for visitors to take their photos with the campaign banners and able to check-in and upload to FACEBOOK/Twitter/Instragram or other Social networks to get the prizes from us.

Among the activities, it is the dissemination of the campaign “Support. Don‟t Punish”.

Check out all activities happening at ICAAP this year:

For more information about the Networking Zone on injecting drug use, see:

And read the document below to see a roadmap of sessions and activities on people who use drugs (last updated on 14th November):

11th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP)

The book by Doug Fine "Too high to fail: Cannabis and the new green economic revolution" will be launched news Wednesday 13th November in the Keyworth Centre. This event will also include a talk from Dr Gary Potter on alternative models of regulated cannabis markets around the world, and a talk from one of the leaders of the Belgian Cannabis Social Club movement.

Based on bestselling author Doug Fine’s latest book, ‘Too High to Fail: Cannabis and the New Green Economic Revolution’, in this slide show and talk, we follow one locally permitted organic cannabis flower, from farm to liver cancer patient. Doug, globe-trotting and hysterically funny veteran of award winning journalism from the glaciers of Alaska to the jungles of Burma and Guatemala, spent 2011 in California’s Emerald Triangle cannabis fields, reporting on a growing movement toward legitimacy and sustainability.

As covered in his groundbreaking book, every plant in Mendocino County, California wears a permitting bracelet from the Sheriff’s Department. Local crime went down as a result of this “Zip-tie” Program, and the permitting revenue saved seven police jobs, in addition to hurting criminal cartels.

From there, in this visually stunning live event Doug extrapolates the value to the economy of ending America’s longest war, the 40-year, trillion-dollar Drug War.

Registration is not necessary, but it would be useful to have an indication of likely numbers. So please email Dr Gary Potter (potterg@lsbu.ac.uk) if you are hoping to attend.

Keep up-to-date with drug policy developments by subscribing to the IDPC Monthly Alert.

Too high to fail: Find out about the cannabis revolution in the USA

Despite all political and security barriers, the MENAHRA 2nd Regional conference is going forward, offering the latest information on Harm Reduction in the Middle East and North Africa.

Only some days left to share your achievements and results with different CSOs and international stakeholders. What are you waiting for?

Submit your abstract now before September 5!

MENAHRA is also pleased to announce that scholarship is available for the ones who participated or achieved projects on Harm Reduction, Benefit from this chance and apply for a partial or complete Scholarship before September 30, 2013.

MENAHRA 2nd Regional Conference

For decades, drug law enforcement has been focused on the ultimate goal of reducing the size of the illicit drug market: eradicating drug production, distribution and retail supply. It has become increasingly clear in recent years that these strategies have been unable to significantly or permanently reduce the supply of, or demand for, the main drugs of choice in consumer markets. Given this reality, drug law enforcement strategies need to be adjusted to fit the new challenge – to manage drug markets in a way that minimizes the range of harmful impacts on communities – crime, corruption, money laundering, and threats to health and development goals. The Modernizing Drug Law Enforcement Project being carried out by IISS, IDPC and Chatham House aims, through a publication series, network development and seminars, to collate and refine theoretical material and practical examples of these new approaches, and to promote debate amongst policy makers, law enforcement leaders and experts on the implications for future strategies.

This IISS-WOLA-IDPC event will launch this project in Washington DC with the participation of Virginia Comolli, Research Associate for Transnational Threats, IISS; David Bewley-Taylor, Associate, International Drug Policy Consortium and Professor, Swansea University, U.K; Vanda Felbab-Brown, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution and Rudolph Bell, Managing Director, IISS-US.

Wednesday November 6, 2013 1:30 - 2:30 pm

 at IISS-US, 2121 K Street NW, Suite 801, Washington, DC 2003.

 is a Professor of International Relations and Public Policy and Director of the Global Drug Policy Observatory within the College of Arts and Humanities at Swansea University. He gained his PhD from the University of Wales in 1996, was appointed as a lecturer at Swansea University in 2000 and has been a visiting lecturer at a number of Universities in the US, including the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, and the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. He is an IDPC Associate, where he directs the Modernizing Drug Law Enforcement Project, an Associate Fellow at the Transnational Institute and was the founding secretary of the International Society for the Study of Drug Policy. His most recent book is 

International Drug Control: Consensus Fractured

 is the Research Associate for Transnational Threats at IISS in London. In her current capacity she has responsibility for extremism, transnational organized crime, and security threats in West Africa and the Sahel. Previous experience includes a secondment to the British Ministry of Justice and work for a private security company and a strategic intelligence firm. Virginia is the co-author with Nigel Inkster of “Drugs, Insecurity and Failed States: the Problems of Prohibition” (London: Routledge, 2012) and author of a forthcoming book on Boko Haram’s insurgency in Nigeria (Hurst Publishers/Oxford University Press, 2014).

 is a senior fellow with the Center for 21st Century Security and Intelligence in the Foreign Policy program at the Brookings Institute. She is an expert on international and internal conflicts and nontraditional security threats, including insurgency, organized crime, urban violence, and illicit economies. Her fieldwork and research have covered, among others, Afghanistan, South Asia, Burma, Indonesia, the Andean region, Mexico, Morocco, Somalia, and eastern Africa. She is the author of 

Aspiration and Ambivalence: Strategies and Realities of Counterinsurgency and State-Building in Afghanistan

 (The Brookings Institution Press, 2012) and 

Shooting Up: Counterinsurgency and the War on Drugs

Moderator: Rudolph Bell, Managing Director, IISS-US

The event will take place on The International Institute for Strategic Studies, 2121 K Street NW, Suite 801, Washington, DC 20037

To read more about the MDLE project and its publications click here.

Modernizing Drug Law Enforcement

As the UK National Treatment Agency rides off into the sunset, over the hill comes Public Health England and with it a whole new landscape in which drug and alcohol services need to operate. So Drugscope have organised a conference with speakers that reflect the new dynamic as well as those reporting on developments in drug use which may well impact on services.

The changing scene from the perspective of local authorities, police and crime commissioners and public health

The challenge to services of alcohol and new drugs

Drugscope Conference

This conference aims to look across sectors at health behaviours and policies and raise awareness on the backdrop of rapid urbanisation across the globe.

City Health 2013 provides the opportunity to demonstrate the leading role that cities play in addressing health issues associated with a large, complex, diverse, shifting population on a daily basis.

It has a special focus on health behaviours and factors affecting health - including alcohol, sex, drugs, smoking, nightlife, entertainment venues, mental health, violence, tourism, food and diet, housing and migration, along with consideration of the future challenges for creating healthy cities and a healthy public.

The programme focuses on ‘whole systems’ approaches, reflecting the integration of health and social care, with an emphasis on the science and evidence supporting policy, prevention, treatment and the delivery of services. It will showcase examples of effective policy and good practice in addressing the consequences of health behaviours. Of particular importance will be examples of multi-agency, multi-disciplinary working, including professionals from other sectors, including law enforcement.

City Health 2013 will discuss and disseminate models of intervention, practical experience and research from across the world, acknowledging and recognising the impact of economic and cultural disparity and beliefs.

Registration for City Health 2013 is now open. Please see the information below which will assist you in booking your place at the conference. Your place(s) will be confirmed when full payment is received. Please note that all payments must be made by 1700 GMT, on Friday 25th October 2013. Any payments after this date will be subject to a surcharge of £15.

Creating healthy places for healthy futures

Organized by the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, IOS is a knowledge exchange, research and networking event for professionals in the field. IOS focuses on new approaches to making a collective impact on substance abuse problems in Canada. It is held every two years in November to complement National Addictions Awareness Week.

Issues of substance 2013

This Conference is organized in the framework of the Cooperation Programme between Latin America and the European Union on Drugs Policies (COPOLAD), under the leadership of the National Drug Secretariat (Uruguay), in close in collaboration with the Government Delegation for the National Plan on Drugs of Spain (DGPNSD).

This Conference aims to create a space for information exchange in order to analize and discuss the most important aspects regarding this matter. Special emphasis will be placed on: National Legislation and police and Public Prosecutor's Office roles regarding seizure, precautionary and provisional measures and confiscation; money and other assets seizure, as well as its legal nature and Registration aspects; best practice for managing seized assets and legal tools; computerized systems for registering, informing and managing as well as the importance of international, multilateral and bilateral cooperation in order to locate, recover and confiscate assets.

Exchange of experiences on managing seized assets from drug trafficking and money laundering

An event for people who work with individuals struggling with addiction, mental illness or trauma in small town, rural, remote and isolated areas. This event connects attendees with other people doing the work to honour experience, share successes, strategies, tools and hope.

Past Events