The coming on the market of the products called “Research Chemicals” or “legal highs” is no accident. It corresponds to an evolution in the drug using community, based on several elements:

The new generation has seized the Internet tool and spends an enormous amount of time “online”, in the world of the “web” where pleasure seeking is continually expressed. This new generation of users shares its experiments of the use of NPS (New Psychoactive substances) through Internet forums and it has now acquired a real expertise.

New businesses have emerged on the market of online sales of psychoactive substances, providing an ever moving and international offer. The emergence of these new drug routes has contributed to the development of a new “ Mafia”, that has adapted its strategies to this “Geek Generation”.

The law of 1970 is now forced into a virtual corner by these phenomena. These synthetic products are many, and their effects and their risks difficult to evaluate; their commercial profile and their online sale make them easily available on a large scale. Payments are carried out online by credit cards, using official bank routes; in all these aspects they go beyond law enforcement, which seems to have stalled in front of them.

As these NPS are conducive to risk taking, the addiction service providers need to work out new harm reduction strategies, which will fully, involving the users.

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

The new psychoactive products

This report focuses on drug treatment services in England, given the significant changes in policy and implementation over the last year. Many of the recommendations, for example on harm reduction and on services for people who inject drugs, are of course as relevant to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as they are to England.

This report acts as a helpful prompt to both drugs and HIV/BBV sectors to protect and maintain with vigilance the health successes of the last three decades, whilst responding innovatively and promptly to change.

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

HIV and injecting drug use

In order to provide the reader with a better understanding of the selected terms, we have created a list of definitions that intend to shatter prejudice and avoid the interchangeable use of terms that are not synonyms. In addition, this guide pretends to help the reader to identify him/herself within the wide spectrum of positions that are discussed and defended in the public sphere –from supporters of prohibition to advocates of liberalisation, through to those who propose, in turn, the legal regulation of drugs.

As in most -serious- debates regarding public policy, the debate on drugs is a diverse, complex, and intellectual one. It is not because “us” reformers advocate for the “legalization of marihuana” or the “decriminalization of cocaine use” that we cease to be professionals, dedicated to the study of public policies, programmes, and governmental feats. In the same sense, and despite the growing “normalisation” of a discussion that was once taboo, the debate on drugs is neither unscientific, nor one of personal perceptions or singular and monolithic approaches. On the contrary, the drug policy debate is one in which a series of opinions and nuances are expressed and, although, sometimes complementary, such approaches will often remain different.

Guidelines for debate: Drug jargon, 5 terms that must be defined

A number of research studies and policy papers have highlighted the relationship between street based prostitution and problem drug us and the barriers that can prevent women involved in prosti tution from accessing services to change their lives and achieve recovery.

Nevertheless, there has been little research that has documented in detail the nature of the problems faced by this particular group, the extent and nature of current provision and the adequacy of coverage. This wide ranging study seeks to fill this gap and provide a platform for the further development of services to meet the needs of this particularly marginalised group who may fall into the gaps between services.

The stigma associated with both drug use and prostitution means that this will be a largely hidden group of women and there are no good estimates of the number of people affected in this way.

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

The challenge of change: Improving services for women involved in prostitution and substance use

In early 2013, the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) hosted the Global Drug and Development Policy Roundup, a new forum for discussing the nexus between the production, trade and use of illicit drugs, and development. It was conceived in response to persisting concerns that the international development and drug policy communities do not communicate sufficiently with one another, and that broader strategic cooperation is highly necessary.

Bringing development in: Tackling the negative effects of illicit drugs and drug policy on development

At the Sixth Summit of the Americas in Cartagena, Colombia, the presidents of the hemisphere’s 34 countries acknowledged the multidimensional nature of the drug phenomenon and the challenges it poses. Aware of the increasingly intense debate on the topic and the growing sense that there is a need to reform current policies and explore other alternatives, the heads of state and government said they had begun an “

invaluable discussion on the global drug problem [and had agreed] on the need to analyze the results of the current policy in the Americas and to explore new approaches to strengthen this struggle and to become more effective.”

 They issued the OAS a mandate to that end.

Report on the Drug Problem in the Americas

 is the tool for compliance with that agreement and mandate. Consisting of two different but complementary sections, the report includes a broad technical study of drug 

consumption, production, transit, commerce 

in the hemisphere, and examines the public policies adopted to address the problems of public health, illegality and violence it causes, as well as its social and political impact on society. The study’s conclusions are called the 

The scenarios, presented as a series of narratives with a time frame from 2013 to 2025, illustrate the possible outcomes of four different policy approaches which, although not mutually exclusive, emphasize different areas, such as 

of the international drug control system, reconstruction of the 

The drugs problem in the Americas – An analysis of the OAS report

This study represents the most comprehensive assessment of Global Fund investments in harm reduction. This funding, while substantial, falls short of the estimated needs. Investments in harm reduction must increase if HIV transmission among people who inject drugs is to be halved by 2015.

Read here the full publication (restricted access)

Global Fund investments in harm reduction from 2002 to 2009

A better understanding of the complex science of ‘addiction’ can improve responses to drug problems. This report contains a critical review of existing addiction theories and explores how these can be organised into an overarching structure to inform how we assess, prevent and treat addictive behaviours. This model is not limited to illicit drugs, but can also be applied to alcohol, tobacco and even non-pharmacological addictions, such as gambling or compulsive use of the Internet.

 delivers the message that understanding the biological basis of addiction, along with the broader social and psychological aspects of addictive behaviour, can lead to successful prevention and treatment responses.

Models of addiction in Europe

The series ‘A year in review’ contains the essence of the EMCDDA's General Report of Activities. It is designed to provide interested audiences with a brief summary of the agency’s achievements for the year concerned with a focus on key topics.

A year in review: Highlights from the EMCDDA’s general report of activities 2012

Read here the full declarations and resolutions approved by OAS Member States during the XLIII General Assembly that took place on June 4-6, 2013 in Antigua, Guatemala.

Declarations and resolutions adopted by the OAS General Assembly 

The present study is a research in the new psychoactive substances (NPS) consumption in Romania conducted on two levels: the empirical level – a field qualitative study in ten major cities of Romania; and a secondary analysis of various data and information from scientific and online media.

The main purpose is a quick survey on new psychoactive substances (NPS) consumption – „legal highs” or „ethno-botanicals” – patterns of consumption and associated risks in 120 children and teens from ten major cities in Romania.

Risk assessment of new psychoactive substances consumption among children and youth in Romania

Although data are limited, an estimated 70,000-100,000 people die from opioid overdose each year. Opioid overdose was the main cause of the estimated 99,000-253,000 deaths worldwide related to illicit drug use in 2010.1 Opioid overdose is both preventable and, if witnessed, treatable (reversible). In its resolution 55/7 on promoting measures to prevent drug overdose, in particular opioid overdose, the Commission on Narcotic Drugs called upon Member States to include effective measures to prevent and treat drug overdose in national drug policies.2 In that resolution, the Commission requested the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), to collect and circulate available best practices on the prevention and treatment of and emergency response to drug overdose, in particular opioid overdose, including on the use and availability of opioid receptor antagonists such as naloxone and other measures based on scientific evidence.

This discussion paper outlines the facts about opioid overdose, the actions that can be taken to prevent and treat (reverse) opioid overdose and areas requiring further investigation.

Publications