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Date: November 22, 2024 Fri
Time: 12:01 pm
Time: 12:01 pm
Results for drug use and abuse
9 results foundAuthor: Pompidou Group Title: Policy Paper Providing Guidance to Policy Makers for Developing Coherent Policies for Licit and Illicit Drugs Summary: Drug policies fall within states’ responsibility, leading to a variety of national action plans and strategies reflecting the diversity of situations in the different countries. To make the most of this diversity, other countries’ experiences are widely discussed and taken into account. While there is a wish to learn about different policies and strategies in Europe, language continues to be a barrier since many of the relevant documents are not translated. An ever-increasing amount of documentation on evidence-related research, guidelines, manuals and good practice inventories is now available. At the same time, a significant number of international legal and political instruments need to be taken into account when developing and implementing action plans and strategies. In addition, there are various tools developed by international governmental and non-governmental bodies. However, qualified overviews allowing policy makers quickly to identify instruments and tools relevant to their work are rare, or even non-existent. The sheer quantity of available resources has grown to the point where giving them adequate consideration is becoming impossible. Furthermore, much of the material available is targeted at professionals and rarely at those involved in policy decisions. This policy paper aims to provide decision makers and policy managers with an overview of the basic principles, instruments and tools that will support them in developing, reviewing and implementing drug policies, strategies and action plans. It summarises key elements for coherent drug policies and effective strategies in the form of a series of guiding principles. It also lists a selection of relevant instruments, tools and resources proposed by European and international organisations (Appendix 1) and sets out a number of key observations by policy makers on existing practice (Appendix 2). Details: Strasbourg: Council of Europe, 2012. 52p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 3, 2012 at: http://www.coe.int/t/dg3/pompidou/default_en.asp Year: 2012 Country: Europe URL: http://www.coe.int/t/dg3/pompidou/default_en.asp Shelf Number: 125133 Keywords: Alcohol AbuseDrug Policy (Europe)Drug Use and AbuseIllicit Drugs |
Author: Jelsma, Martin Title: A Breakthrough in the Making? Shifts in the Latin American Drug Policy Debate Summary: Remarkable drug policy developments are taking place in Latin America. This is not only at the level of political debate, but is also reflected in actual legislative changes in a number of countries. All in all there is an undeniable regional trend of moving away from the ‘war on drugs’. This briefing explains the background to the opening of the drug policy debate in the region, summarises the most relevant aspects of the ongoing drug law reforms in some countries, and makes a series of recommendations that could help to move the debate forward in a productive manner. The high expectations of a high-level debate on current drug policy regimes in the Americas at the sixth Organization of American States (OAS) Summit in April 2012, in Cartagena, Colombia, were quickly tempered to a general approval that the topic had been discussed at this level at all. The summit's outcome can be called both a failure and a success: no alternatives to prohibition were discussed, but all agreed that the effectiveness of current strategies should be looked into. The OAS was mandated to undertake a study and discuss the gathered evidence for more effective alternative strategies in 2013. The International Conference of Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Heads of Specialized National Agencies against the World Drug Problem, in Lima on 25 and 26 of June, will be the next opportunity for high level policy makers to discuss both the content and form of this evaluation or study. Another opportunity arises concurrently on June 26, in New York, where there will be a thematic debate on 'Drugs and Crime as a Threat to Development' on the occasion of the UN International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, at the 66th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. It was due to the insistence and efforts of Presidents Otto Pérez Molina (Guatemala) and Juan Manuel Santos (Colombia), and the extensive media attention in the run-up to the April Summit in Cartagena, that the issue was present at all on the agenda of the Summit. At last, some of the frustrations with U.S.-promoted drug control policies were on the table at the highest political level in the American hemisphere: the “genie was freed from the bottle”. Behind closed doors and for Presidents and heads of delegations only, the “hot but hidden” issue was discussed on the Sunday afternoon, in “an open and frank manner”, according to the host President Santos. The emergence of an increasingly independent and assertive Latin America insisting on a change of direction in drug control policies reflects an important shift in its relationship with the United States. The demand for “democratization” of the debate and alternative policy options stems from the perception that Latin American societies pay a disproportionate price in lost lives, hijacked justice systems, abuses in overcrowded prisons, and displaced small farmers, because of the U.S.-led strategy that has prioritised stemming the supply of drugs over reducing its own demand. The U.S. Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control acknowledged as much in its latest report, saying that “the United States must do significantly more to reduce our country’s demand for illegal drugs. Ultimately, it is drug consumption in the United States that fuels violence throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.” This is not to say that U.S. society hasn’t also paid a high price for repressive domestic drug law enforcement, in terms of drug-related violence and overcrowded prisons. CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS • Ensure that the OAS-mandated study on alternative drug policy options will be an honest and open-minded reflection on different models and strategies • Support moves towards the legal regulation of the cannabis market and explore with a coalition of like-minded countries how best to resolve the legal conflict with the UN conventions • Elaborate substance-specific proposals for managing different drug submarkets • Experiment with harm reduction policy measures to reduce the level of drug-related violence • Support the legal right to coca chewing and allow a licit coca market to develop in the whole region • Secure civil society participation in the debate on drug policy reform • Challenge provisions in the UN conventions that are obstacles to advancing with evidence-based reforms. Details: Amsterdam: Transnational Institute, 2012. 16p. Source: Internet Resource: Series on Legislative Reform of Drug Policies Nr. 21: Accessed July 20, 2012 at: http://www.druglawreform.info/images/stories/documents/dlr21.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Central America URL: http://www.druglawreform.info/images/stories/documents/dlr21.pdf Shelf Number: 125697 Keywords: Drug Abuse PolicyDrug Policy (Latin America)Drug Use and Abuse |
Author: Rosmarin, Ari Title: A Quiet Revolution: Drug Decriminalisation Policies in Practice Across the Globe Summary: Increasingly countries around the world are changing their drug policies by ending the criminalization of those who use and possess drugs for their own personal use. This report published by Release, the UK national center of expertise on drugs and drug laws, reviews the evidence in 21 countries that have adopted some form of decriminalization and has found that the model of enforcement adopted has little impact on the rates of drug use in a country. The paper defines decriminalization as the removal of sanctions under the criminal law, with optional use of administrative sanctions; under this model drug supply offences are still criminal acts. A Quiet Revolution: Drug Decriminalization Policies in Practice across the Globe shows that countries and States as disparate as Belgium, Estonia, Australia, Mexico, Uruguay, the Netherlands and Portugal have adopted different models of decriminalization. It also highlights that decriminalization is not a new phenomenon with some countries, such as Spain, having adopted a non-criminal approach to drug use since the 1970s. Research from Australia, highlighted in the report, showed that as well as not needlessly criminalizing people, decriminalization could have other positive consequences. This research compared individuals who had been criminalized for cannabis possession against those who had received a non-criminal response. It found that individuals given criminal penalties were more likely to suffer negative employment, relationship, and accommodation consequences as a result of their cannabis charge and were more likely to come into further contact with the criminal justice system. Details: London: Release, 2012. 44p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 26, 2012 at: http://www.soros.org/sites/default/files/release-quiet-revolution-drug-decriminalisation-policies-20120709.pdf Year: 2012 Country: International URL: http://www.soros.org/sites/default/files/release-quiet-revolution-drug-decriminalisation-policies-20120709.pdf Shelf Number: 125787 Keywords: DecriminalizationDrug LegalizationDrug Policy (International)Drug Use and Abuse |
Author: International Drug Policy Consortium Title: IDPC Response to the UNODC World Drug Report 2012 Summary: 26 June 2012 saw the launch of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)’s flagship publication, the World Drug Report. This IDPC response provides an overview of the data and topics presented in the Report and where appropriate, within the broader context of the current state of the UN drug control framework, offer a critical analysis of both. This year’s publication represents an impressive and wide-ranging set of data collated and analysed by UNODC and provides an overview of recent trends and the current situation in terms of production, trafficking, consumption and the consequences of illicit drug use for treatment, drug-related diseases and drug-related deaths. Details: London: International Drug Policy Consortium, 2012. 22p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 15, 2012 at http://dl.dropbox.com/u/64663568/library/IDPC-response-to-the-UNODC-world-drug-report-2012.pdf Year: 2012 Country: International URL: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/64663568/library/IDPC-response-to-the-UNODC-world-drug-report-2012.pdf Shelf Number: 126930 Keywords: Crime StatisticsCrime TrendsDrug TraffickingDrug Use and AbuseDrugs and Crime |
Author: Weisheit, Ralph A. Title: Methamphetamine and Violence in Illinois Summary: Methamphetamine has spread eastward from Hawaii and California to other parts of the country, including the Midwest. Despite aggressive efforts by state and federal governments the problem persists and has been particularly visible in rural areas of the Midwest. Responding to the problem has been made more difficult because social science research on methamphetamine lags, even though the number of recent methamphetamine users is about the same as the number of recent crack cocaine users – a group that has been extensively studied (SAMHSA, 2006). Beyond a lack of basic information about methamphetamines in rural areas there is a need for research on the association between methamphetamine and violence. Public perceptions notwithstanding, there is very little empirically based knowledge about the association between methamphetamine and violence. This study was designed to fill gaps in knowledge about the problem. The general purpose and goals of the project were as follows: General Purpose -- The general purpose of this study was to generate a better understanding of factors associated with methamphetamine use and methamphetamine-related violence in Illinois. Goals -- There were several inter-related goals for the project: 1. Provide a description of the epidemiology of methamphetamine use and of methamphetamine-related violence, across counties of different sizes in Illinois, with a particular emphasis on use and violence in rural areas. 2. Gain an understanding of the connection between methamphetamine and violence in rural areas, including violence associated with both use and methamphetamine markets. 3. Develop policy recommendations to respond to the methamphetamine problem. Details: Chicago: Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, 2012. 76p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 22, 2013 at: http://www.icjia.state.il.us/public/pdf/ResearchReports/METHAMPHETAMINE%20AND%20VIOLENCE%20IN%20ILLINOIS%20062009.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://www.icjia.state.il.us/public/pdf/ResearchReports/METHAMPHETAMINE%20AND%20VIOLENCE%20IN%20ILLINOIS%20062009.pdf Shelf Number: 127703 Keywords: Drug MarketsDrug Use and AbuseDrugs and CrimeDrugs and ViolenceMethamphetamine (Illinois, U.S.)Rural Areas |
Author: Monaghan, Geoffrey Title: Police Support for Harm Reduction Policies and Practices Towards People Who Inject Drugs Summary: Over the last twenty five years or so an increasing number of police services from countries around the world have devised and implemented policies and practices that have specifically supported increasingly widespread harm reduction policies and practices aiming to prevent, halt and reverse HIV and hepatitis B and C (HBV and HCV) epidemics amongst PWIDs and their sexual partners. This briefing paper aims to shift the focus of the debate on policing and HIV-related outcomes and explore these more positive relationships and, where appropriate, the related benefits to be derived by police services engaging directly with people who inject drugs (PWIDs). Details: London: International Drug Policy Consortium, 2013. 20p. Source: Internet Resource: Modernising Drug Law Enforcement - Report 1: Accessed March 5, 2013 at: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/64663568/library/MDLE-report-1_Police-support-for-harm-reduction.pdf Year: 2013 Country: International URL: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/64663568/library/MDLE-report-1_Police-support-for-harm-reduction.pdf Shelf Number: 127845 Keywords: Drug EnforcementDrug PolicyDrug Use and Abuse |
Author: Sheridan, Kathryn M. Title: Mental Health Outcomes, Social Functioning, and the Perspectives of Children from Methamphetamine-Involved Families in the Rural Midwest: Challenges and Strengths Summary: Social workers must confront a number of significant challenges as front-line workers in their efforts to provide appropriate prevention and intervention services to children from methamphetamine-involved, rural-dwelling families. Developing an understanding of children’s strengths as well as their limitations is necessary to the development of interventions that not only remediate deficits, but develop strengths. This cross-sectional, descriptive research describes the mental health, social functioning, and social context of 39 children aged 6 to15 from methamphetamine-involved families receiving child protective services in rural Illinois. An examination of how social context may provide protection from risks to children’s mental health and social competence posed by parent substance misuse was explored. Two illustrative cases of children experiencing differing levels of risk and protection are also presented. Mental health was assessed utilizing the Child Behavior Checklist and Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children and results indicate half of the children in this study were experiencing internalizing symptoms and over half were experiencing externalizing problem behavior based on the CBCL. Slightly less than half of the children were experiencing problems associated with dissociation, post-traumatic stress, anger, and depression and over half of children had clinically significant scores on one or more of the five TSCC subscales. As a group, children scored in the normal range on the CBCL Competence scales. This finding suggests that children had some level of protection from the risks associated with substance-affected homes. Children reported that they received social support from a variety of sources including immediate and extended family members. Importantly, family history of intergenerational substance misuse and the presence of a supportive grandparent were shown to be significantly related to children’s mental health and adaptive functioning. Details: Urbana-Champaign, IL: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2010. 120p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed March 5, 2013 at: https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/bitstream/handle/2142/24045/Sheridan_Kathryn.pdf?sequence=1 Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/bitstream/handle/2142/24045/Sheridan_Kathryn.pdf?sequence=1 Shelf Number: 127847 Keywords: Child ProtectionChild WelfareDrug Use and AbuseMethamphetamine (U.S.)Rural Areas |
Author: Quigley, Eoghan Title: Drug Policy Profiles — Ireland Summary: The national drug policy of Ireland comes under the spotlight in the second volume in the EMCDDA series of Drug policy profiles. Examining the evolution of Irish drug policy through four periods of historic development, the report explores: the country’s national strategies; the legal context within which they operate; the public funds spent, or committed, to implement them; and the political bodies and mechanisms set up to coordinate the response to the problem. The profile sets this information in context by outlining the size, wealth and economic situation of the country as a whole, as well as the historical development of the current policy. Also described is the manner in which events in Ireland bear similarities with, and differences from, developments in other European countries. Details: Lisbon: EMCDDA, 2013. 44p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 7, 2013 at: http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/publications/drug-policy-profiles/ireland Year: 2013 Country: Ireland URL: http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/publications/drug-policy-profiles/ireland Shelf Number: 127860 Keywords: Drug Law EnforcementDrug OffendersDrug Policy (Ireland)Drug Use and Abuse |
Author: Count the Costs Title: The War on Drugs: Wasting billions and undermining economies Summary: Whilst accurate figures are hard to come by, global spending on drug law enforcement certainly exceeds $100 billion each year. Given current economic conditions it is more important than ever that spending is effective and not a waste of taxpayer money. However, the huge investments in enforcement have consistently delivered the opposite of their stated goals—to reduce drug production, supply and use. Instead they have created a vast criminal market. This in turn has substantial social and economic costs, through crime and ill health, far exceeding even the billions in enforcement spending. There are huge opportunity costs to wasteful expenditure on this scale. As drug enforcement budgets continue to grow, other areas are being starved of funds, and cuts in government budgets are hitting public services and support for the needy. Despite the appalling track record of failure, the level of value-for-money scrutiny applied to drug enforcement spending has been almost zero, at both national and international levels. At a time of global economic crisis, after literally trillions wasted over the last half-century, it is time to meaningfully count the real economic costs of the war on drugs. Details: London: Transform Drug Policy Foundation, 2012. 16p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed march 8, 2013 at: http://www.countthecosts.org/sites/default/files/Economics-briefing.pdf Year: 2012 Country: International URL: http://www.countthecosts.org/sites/default/files/Economics-briefing.pdf Shelf Number: 127899 Keywords: Drug Law EnforcementDrug MarketsDrug PolicyDrug Use and AbuseEconomics of CrimeOrganized CrimeWar on Drugs |