Author: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

The World Drug Report 2013 presents a comprehensive overview of the latest developments in drug markets, covering production, trafficking, consumption and related health consequences. This year's report contains new global data on the number of people who inject drugs and those who inject drugs and are also living with HIV, showing progress and setbacks during the 2008-2011 period.

Author: Gerard Hastings (Institute for Social Marketing, University of Stirling and the Open University)

This BMJ article calls for a shake-up to public health, to revitalise the discipline, place the needed emphasis on the commercial determinants of poor health and take the lead in a move away from 'an abeyance to the corporate bottom line', with suggestions for key areas in which organisational and paradigm shifts are needed.

Full title: Vested interests in addiction research and policy. Why do we not see the corporate interests of the alcohol industry as clearly as we see those of the tobacco industry?

Author: Sally Casswell

The aim of this publication is to compare the current status of global alcohol corporations with tobacco in terms of their role in global governance and to document the process by which this difference has been achieved and the consequences for alcohol control policy.

Full title: Under the influence: 4. Election prospects triumph over public health.

Paper by Jonathan Gornall. Published in BMJ in January 2014.

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.