Illicit use of injected drugs is linked with high rates of HIV infection and fatal overdose, as well as community concerns about public drug use. Supervised injecting facilities have been proposed as a potential solution, but fears have been raised that they might encourage drug use.
In Brazil, the first large crack consumption market appeared at the end of he 1980s in São Paulo and expanded during the 1990s reaching its peak halfway the decade.
This DPAG (www.drugpolicy.ie) paper examines the provision of formal i.e. specialist treatment services & drug agencies and generic social care services for problem drug users in Ireland.
The 2006 International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) report emitted a clear signal to the governments of Bolivia, Peru and Argentina that growing and using coca leaf is in conflict with international treaties, particularly the 1961 Single Convention.
This paper describes the problems caused by injecting drug use as a mode of transmission of HIV, and the need for the global community to find effective methods of minimising that risk.
Efforts to combat opium production in Afghanistan have been marred by corruption and have failed to prevent the consolidation of the drugs trade in the hands of fewer powerful players with strong political connections, says a report released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC http://www.unodc.org/) and the World Bank (http://www.worldbank.org/).
This report reviews the global situation regarding Cannabis cultivation and use, with particular reference to recent debates around the variable THC content of Cannabis products, and the link between use of the drug and mental health problems such as schizophrenia and psychosis.