A review of the monitoring of drug-related acute emergencies in 30 European countries, published in April 2014 by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA). 

The report aims:

• To present a summarised literature review of the most common health problems caused by cocaine use, focused on cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and neurological problems.
• To describe the sources of information on drug- and cocaine-related health emergencies in Europe and analyse relevant data from European countries’ recent annual National reports to the EMCDDA.
• To discuss the limitations of the data collected on cocaine-related acute emergencies and the public health implications of the cocaine-related results.
• To discuss the broader issue of using data from emergency settings to help monitor problems related to drug use.

Author: EMCDDA

EMCDDA raised concerns over complex stimulant market and plethora of powders and pills in its 2012 anual report. According to this report, Europe is faced with an increasingly complex stimulant market, in which consumers are confronted with a wide variety of powders and pills.
The report on the state of the drugs problem in Europe presents the EMCDDA's yearly overview of the drug phenomenon. Published every autumn, the report contains non-confidential data supported by an extensive range of figures.

Authors: Patricia J. Conrod, Maeve O’Leary-Barrett, Nicola Newton, Lauren Topper, Natalie Castellanos-Ryan, Clare Mackie, Alain Girard.

Selective school-based alcohol prevention programs targeting youth with personality risk factors for addiction and mental health problems have been found to reduce substance use and misuse in those with elevated personality profiles.

The findings of this article further support the personality-targeted approach to alcohol prevention and its effectiveness when provided by trained school staff. Particularly novel are the findings of some mild herd effects that result from this selective prevention program.

Authors: Tim Lang and Geof Rayner

The authors of this article outline five models and traditions, and argue that public health thinking requires an overhaul, and that ecological public health — which integrates the material, biological, social, and cultural aspects of public health — is the way forward for the 21st century.

Authors: Julia Kensy (IDPC), Camille Stengel (IDPC), Marie Nougier (IDP) and Ruth Birgin (WHRIN).

A number of reports have documented the negative consequences of current prohibitionist drug control policies on health, human rights and development, and these are the subject of growing international attention. The past thirty years has also seen a growing number of studies on women’s participation in all levels of the drug trade. However, limited research currently exists on the particular impact of drug control on women. This briefing paper focuses on this gap.

This briefing 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. This briefing also features ‘snapshots’ from women and service providers working with women that are affected by drug policies. These snapshots explore the complex consequences that drug policies have on both individuals and services. Such snapshots also highlight examples of interventions that seek to address the negative consequences of drug control and provide positive support to women.