Author: European Comission

On 23 October 2012, the European Commission adopted the Communication “Towards a comprehensive European framework on online gambling”. Based on an in-depth public consultation, this Communication sets out an action plan which is seeking to enhance clarity throughout the EU for the benefit of national authorities, operators, consumers and related industry such as payment service or media service providers.

Author: Eleanor Winpenny, Sunil Patil, Marc Elliott, Lidia Villalba van Dijk, Saba Hinrichs, Theresa Marteau and Ellen Nolte (Rand Europe)

Evidence strongly suggests that alcohol advertising will increase the likelihood that adolescents will start to drink alcohol at a young age and may increase alcohol use among those who already consume alcohol.
It is against this background that the European Commission Health and Consumer Directorate-General (DG SANCO), by way of the EAHC, commissioned RAND Europe to carry out an assessment of young people’s exposure to alcohol marketing through television and online media. The overall aim of the work presented in this report was to use novel approaches to measure alcohol advertisement exposure among young people in Europe through audiovisual and online media.

Author: D. Thanki, J. Matias, P. Griffiths, A. Noor, D. Olszewski, R. Simon and J. Vicente (EMCDDA)

This report brings together, for the first time in Europe, an integrated overview of the prevalence of intensive cannabis use. Cannabis use is relatively common in the European Union (EU) and Norway, with around 23 million people (6.8 % of all 15- to 64-year-olds) having used the drug in the past year and about 12 million (3.6 % of all 15- to 64-year-olds) in the last month. Although the prevalence of last-year cannabis use among the general population is generally stable or decreasing in many countries, demands for treatment in which cannabis is the primary drug continue to rise, indicating a possible increase in related problems.

Edited by: Peter Anderson (Newcastle University and Maastricht University), Marc Suhrcke (University of East Anglia) and Chris Brookes (Health Action Partnership International)

This report by NHF/HAPI was commissioned by the European Commission to provide a European Union wide overview of the market and regulation regarding types of alcoholic beverages with potentially particular appeal to minors. This topic is important because minors are at disproportionately greater risk from the harmful effects of alcohol than their parents or adults in general, and harmful drinking patterns in early life can have lifelong consequences. Thus, if there are alcoholic beverages that particularly appeal to minors and contribute disproportionately to alcohol-related harm, it is important to know this. The report aims to provide better understanding of alcoholic beverages that appeal to minors and to inform those who have responsibility for advising on alcohol policy either at country or European levels.

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.