Summary

This report presents an analysis of the drug markets in the European Neighbourhood Policy-East region covering Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. Focused on providing insights into drug production, trafficking, sale, use and harms, the report contains data and information from studies conducted between 2019 and 2022 in the framework of the EU4Monitoring Drugs project, funded by the European Commission.

It concludes with an outlook on key areas for policy and practice to address emerging drug markets’ challenges.

Objective: to explore wastewater analysis as a methodology contributing to EU preparedness and response

Background: COVID-19 has raised the attention of Europe, and globally, on the importance of readiness towards potential emergencies. Improved and innovative monitoring methodologies are at the core of the research-based actions taken to respond to potential threats.

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE), also known as wastewater monitoring or wastewater surveillance, only began to gain traction as an epidemiological tool in the early 21st century with a diverse array of applications but...

Summary

The purpose of this report is to examine the current situation, risks and responses to the recreational use of nitrous oxide in Europe. To support this, the report also provides a state-of-the-art review of the chemistry, pharmacology and toxicology of the gas. It is intended for policymakers and practitioners.

The report is structured as follows:

• Section 1 provides a summary of the current situation, established risks and responses.
• Section 2 is a technical review of the chemistry, pharmacology, toxicology, individual risks and legitimate uses.
• Section 3 provides an overview of...

Background

Novel public health interventions are needed to address the toxic drug supply and meet the needs of people who use drugs amidst the overdose crisis. Safer supply – low-barrier distribution of pharmaceutical grade substances – has been implemented in some jurisdictions to provide safer alternatives to the unregulated drug supply, yet no studies to date have explored professional stakeholder perspectives on this approach.

Methods

We used purposive sampling to recruit professional stakeholders (n = 17) from four locations in British Columbia, Ontario, and Nova Scotia, including...

The EMCDDA and the University Institute of Lisbon (ISCTE-IUL) are delighted to open registration today for two upcoming joint events in 2023: the European Drugs Winter School (EDWS) and the European Drugs Summer School (EDSS) (1)(2).

EDWS: 13–24 February 2023 (online): This year, the theme will be ‘Displaced populations and drug- related issues’, with one full day dedicated to this topic. The two-week course will feature live lunchtime lectures with experts and practitioners, followed by afternoon exercises. Virtual fieldwork tours will also be offered. Completion of exercises and an exam are...

BACKGROUND:

A close relationship between a parent and a child and parental acceptance can mediate the appropriate self-acceptance of an adolescent, which is an important variable related to personality and a pillar of emotional health. In the paper we present the conclusions of a research study about the quality of the attachment towards parents and self-acceptance of adolescents at Czech secondary schools.

AIMS:

The aim of the study was the exploration of the relation between the attachment style and self-acceptance.

SAMPLE:

The research sample consists of 3,239 adolescents aged 15–19 in...

Contingency management (CM) is a psychological treatment based on operant conditioning. It consists of providing incentives in exchange for achieving a target behaviour such as abstinence or other treatmentrelated variables (e.g. session attendance, adherence to medication). The objective of this article was to introduce the rationale of CM for substance use and, more specifically, for smoking cessation. A growing body of empirical literature supports CM as an effective treatment for quitting smoking both in the general population and among other hard-to-treat smokers (e.g. pregnant women or...

BACKGROUND:

Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) generate an aerosol by vaporising e-liquids that usually consist of propylene glycol (PG), vegetable glycerine (VG), and other ingredients (water, nicotine, and flavours). The chemical and physical properties of these components have a significant effect on aerosol formation and must be identified in order to improve product attractiveness and assess the degree of health risks.

AIM:

The aim of this article is to provide a description of the composition of the e-liquid base and its impact on the physical properties of the liquid used...

BACKGROUND:

Leisure can be a context that can promote positive adolescent development, but it can also be a context that contributes to adolescents engaging in risk behaviours.

AIMS:

The aim of this study is to determine the extent to which sociodemographic characteristics, the frequency of adolescent participation in structured leisure activities (SLA), and the type of SLA contribute to adolescent alcohol use and to examine the moderating effects of gender, age, and type of SLA on the relationship between the frequency of adolescent participation in SLA and adolescent alcohol use.

METHODS

Canada’s Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines were originally published by CCSA in November 2011 and were the result of the work of alcohol research experts in Canada. Since then, substantial new research on the association between alcohol use and physical, mental and social harms has been completed. Many countries have updated their guidance on drinking to reflect these advancements in what is known about the risks and benefits associated with alcohol consumption.

The report is composed of three documents: the Public Summary, the Technical Summary and the Technical Report. 

• The Public...