People who use and inject drugs are among the groups at highest risk of exposure to HIV, but remain marginalized and out of reach of health and social services.

People who inject drugs need urgent access to harm reduction interventions, including needle–syringe programmes and opioid substitution therapy. There is irrefutable evidence that new HIV infections drop sharply when people who inject drugs have access to harm reduction and other public health programmes.

People who inject drugs, including people in prisons and other closed settings, need access to harm reduction services to prevent HIV infection, including needle–syringe programmes, opioid substitution therapy, antiretroviral therapy and nalaxone.

Evidence shows that harm reduction approaches such as needle-syringe programmes reduce the health, social and economic harms of drug use to individuals, communities and societies. They do not cause increases in drug use.

UNAIDS is calling for the global adoption of a peoplecentred, public health and human rights-based approach to drug use and for alternatives to the criminalization and incarceration of people who use drugs.

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

Harm reduction saves lives

This EMCDDA publication examines the case for distributing naloxone, an emergency medication, to people who inject opioids such as heroin and to others who might witness an opioid overdose.

Through its capacity to reverse opioid overdose, naloxone can save lives if administered in time. This comprehensive review looks at opioid overdose and how naloxone counteracts it, and discusses the circumstances of opioid overdose deaths and the use of naloxone in regular clinical practice. As well as documenting the historical development and spread of take-home naloxone programmes in Europe and beyond, the study looks at the practical side of their implementation, including the training of naloxone recipients in how to recognise and respond to an overdose.

Although take-home naloxone is supported by the World Health Organization, the report finds that barriers to its access exist in Europe and considers how the availability of the intervention may be expanded.

Preventing opioid overdose deaths with take-home naloxone

 examines some of the many ways in which international and domestic drug control laws engage human rights and create an environment of enhanced human rights risk. In this edition, the authors address specific human rights issues such as the right to the highest attainable standard of health (including health protection and promotion measures, as well as access to controlled substances as medicines) and indigenous rights, and how drug control laws affect the protection and fulfillment of these rights. Other authors explore drug control though the lens of cross-cutting human rights themes such as gender and the rights of the child. Together, the contributions illustrate how international guidelines on human rights and drug control could help close the human rights gap—and point the way to drug laws and policies that would respect, protect, and fulfill human rights rather than breach them or impede their full realization.

The case for International Guidelines on human rights and drug control

Drug overdose, driven largely by overdose related to the use of opioids, is now the leading cause of unintentional injury death in the United States. The ongoing opioid crisis lies at the intersection of two public health challenges: reducing the burden of suffering from pain and containing the rising toll of the harms that can arise from the use of opioid medications. Chronic pain and opioid use disorder both represent complex human conditions affecting millions of Americans and causing untold disability and loss of function. In the context of the growing opioid problem, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) launched an Opioids Action Plan in early 2016. As part of this plan, the FDA asked the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to convene a committee to update the state of the science on pain research, care, and education and to identify actions the FDA and others can take to respond to the opioid epidemic, with a particular focus on informing FDA’s development of a formal method for incorporating individual and societal considerations into its risk-benefit framework for opioid approval and monitoring.

Pain management and the opioid epidemic: Balancing societal and individual benefits and risks of prescription opioid use

Often called the Orange Book, this is guidance for clinicians treating people with drug problems.

This 2017 version offers new guidelines on:

new psychoactive substances and club drugs

misuse of prescribed and over-the-counter medicines

preventing drug-related deaths, including naloxone provision

The new guidelines also have a stronger emphasis on recovery and a holistic approach to the interventions that can support recovery.

Drug misuse and dependence: UK guidelines on clinical management

This report aims to provide an overview of the central issues debated and discussed during this important drug control forum. With the intention of incorporating many of the human dimensions lost in more formal records of the meeting, this report includes coverage of the now regular NGO dialogues with representatives from the core UN drug control bodies and the ever-increasing number of side events. Further, in attempting to go beyond a basic descriptive account, it offers some analysis of key topics of debate, as well as emphasizing emerging issues of interest and reoccurring themes. Where appropriate, comparisons are also drawn with previous CND sessions as a means of assessing progress and continuity (or otherwise) within particular issue areas. As in previous years, a supplementary – and searchable – account of the entire session can be found on the CND Blog. This now well-established civil society initiative aims to enhance transparency within the international policy making process and provide real-time monitoring and reporting of proceedings. Official UN documentation relating to the session, including the official report of the proceedings, can be found here.

IDPC report of proceedings: The 2016 Commission on Narcotic Drugs and its special segment on preparations for the UNGASS on the world drug problem

IDPC report of proceedings: The 2015 Commission on Narcotic Drugs and its special segment on preparations for the UNGASS on the world drug problem

IDPC report of proceedings: The 2014 Commission on Narcotic Drugs and its High Level Segment

IDPC report of proceedings: The 2013 Commission on Narcotic Drugs

IDPC report of proceedings: The 2012 Commission on Narcotic Drugs

IDPC report of proceedings: The 2011 Commission on Narcotic Drugs

IDPC report of proceedings: The 2010 Commission on Narcotic Drugs

IDPC report of proceedings: The 2009 Commission on Narcotic Drugs

IDPC report of proceedings: The 2008 Commission on Narcotic Drugs

IDPC report of proceedings: The 2007 Commission on Narcotic Drugs

The 2017 Commission on Narcotic Drugs: Report of Proceedings

2016 was a year of accelerating change in the global HIV response, with declining political and financial commitment to HIV, shrinking space for civil society, and an international political environment characterised by a high degree of volatility and uncertainty. The Alliance remains well positioned and able to adapt to change in an increasingly complex and uncertain external environment, and we continued having a significant impact on reducing the effects of HIV epidemics worldwide.

In 2016, Alliance Linking Organisations and partners:

- provided nearly 1.5 million HIV treatment, care and support packages to adults, adolescents and children - a 25% increase from 2015

- reached over 950,000 people with integrated HIV and sexual and reproductive health and rights services

- reached nearly 840,000 people from key populations with a defined package of HIV prevention services – including 180,000 in Africa

- reached nearly 380,000 people with programmes addressing stigma, discrimination and social exclusion in countries with high levels of stigma - up from 160,000 in 2015

- contributed 10% or more of the national coverage for HIV prevention, care or treatment in 16 countries – up from 11 in 2015

- played a role holding governments to account in upholding human rights, enabling universal access to services or increasing domestic financing of the national HIV response in 28 countries

- provided grants to 1,785 community-based organisations, of which 82% achieved their programmatic and financial targets.

International HIV/AIDS Alliance: Our impact on HIV

From April 4-5, 2017, a multidisciplinary team of scholars convened Canada’s Drug Futures Forum in Ottawa, on traditional Algonquin territory. The goal of the Forum was to bring together academics, policymakers, and community leaders to document priorities for Canadian drug policy in the coming decade. This Forum reflects and builds upon rapid drug policy reform in Canada, and makes a concerted effort to include divergent voices and positions on this issue. This Forum reflects and builds upon rapid drug policy reform in Canada, and makes a concerted effort to include divergent voices and positions on this issue.

The agenda for the Forum was built around four key themes generated by the organizing committee: international management and control, integrating criminal justice and public health responses, decriminalization and regulation, and strategies for health and social equity. With the help of an advisory committee comprising leaders in relevant areas of research, advocacy, policy, and practice, speakers were invited to join panels that stimulated a dialogue on policy options corresponding to each of the four Forum themes. On day 2 of the Forum, participants were asked to join structured and facilitated policy working groups that generated a list of policy recommendations presented back to attendees at the end of the Forum.

This report synthesizes the dialogue generated from the speaker panels and keynote presentations, as well as the recommendations generated by Forum participants. It also documents some of the areas where dissent was voiced or agreement could not be reached. The recommendations that emerged from the Forum have been presented within five domains: national drug policy reform; criminal justice reform; prevention, harm reduction, and treatment; research and knowledge exchange; and international leadership. Recommendations have been framed as opportunities to generate policy or amend existing policies in each of the five domain areas. For each recommendation, an appropriate timeline is identified.

Together with the work of other organizations leading a national conversation on drug policy, this report is intended for use by policymakers in all sectors and within all levels of government and civil society to prioritize action on drug policy in Canada over the coming ten years. In response to an unprecedented opioid crisis facing the country, more people are engaged in the drug policy arena than ever before. There is an imperative to explore and implement new and more effective policies in response to this ongoing crisis, as well as to reduce other adverse consequences of efforts to control the harms of drugs and drug use. This report presents a number of such recommendations to support the optimization of Canada’s policy response in this domain.

Canada’s Drug Futures Forum report

O consumo de drogas ilícitas e, em geral, o abuso de drogas representam um grande problema para as pessoas, as famílias e as comunidades em toda a Europa. Para além das implicações sanitárias e sociais do abuso de drogas, o mercado das drogas ilícitas constitui um dos principais elementos da atividade criminosa na sociedade europeia e até mesmo a nível mundial.

Em dezembro de 2012, o Conselho adotou a Estratégia da UE de Luta contra a Droga para 2013-2020. A Estratégia visa contribuir para uma redução da procura e da oferta de droga a nível da UE) Visa também reduzir os riscos e danos sociais e para a saúde causados pela droga graças a uma abordagem estratégica que apoie e complemente as políticas nacionais, crie uma estrutura que permita desenvolver ações coordenadas e conjuntas e sirva de base e enquadramento político à cooperação externa da UE neste domínio. Para tal, seguir-se-á uma abordagem integrada, equilibrada e assente em dados.

Registe-se para recever as Alertas mensais do IDPC e obter informação sobre questões relacionadas com as políticas de drogas.

Plano de ação da UE de luta contra a droga 2017-2020

Il consumo di droghe illecite e l’abuso di droghe in generale rappresentano un grave problema per gli individui, le famiglie e le comunità in tutta Europa. A parte le implicazioni di tale abuso per la salute e la società, il mercato delle droghe illecite costituisce un importante elemento dell’attività criminale nella società europea e a livello globale.

Nel dicembre 2012 il Consiglio ha adottato la strategia dell’Unione europea in materia di droga per il periodo 2013-2020. La strategia punta a contribuire ad una riduzione della domanda e dell’offerta di droga all’interno dell’UE, nonché a ridurre i rischi e i danni per la salute e la società correlati alla droga mediante un approccio strategico che sostiene ed integra le politiche nazionali, fornisce un quadro per azioni coordinate e congiunte e costituisce la base ed il quadro politico per la cooperazione esterna dell’UE in questo settore. Ciò sarà realizzato mediante un approccio integrato, equilibrato e basato su dati.

Mantenere up-to-date con gli sviluppi politici droga iscrivendoti al IDPC mensile Alert.

Piano d'azione dell'UE in materia di lotta contro la droga 2017-2020 

The use of illicit drugs and the misuse of drugs generally, is a major problem for individuals, families and communities across Europe. Apart from the health and social implications of drug misuse, the illicit drugs market constitutes a major element of criminal activity across European society and, indeed, on a global level.

In December 2012, the Council adopted the EU Drugs Strategy for 2013-2020. The Strategy aims to contribute to a reduction in drug demand and drug supply within the EU. It also aims to reduce the health and social risks and harms caused by drugs through a strategic approach that supports and complements national policies, that provides a framework for coordinated and joint actions and that forms the basis and political framework for EU external cooperation in this field. This will be achieved through an integrated, balanced and evidence-based approach.

EU Action Plan on Drugs 2017-2020

The challenges of responding to needs of older people with a drug problem (OPDP), defined in this report as over the age of 35, are significant and will increase considerably over the coming years. Among people with drug problems, those aged over 35 will become the main client group in specialist services for the foreseeable future. They will also be a significant challenge to a wider range of services that will increasingly be required to offer help and support. Therefore, in terms of planning for the future, OPDPs complex and long-term care needs must be taken into consideration in the planning and development of all health, social care and related services.

Publications