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Public health
The intersection of substance use with broader public health concerns.
Drugs, Brains and Behavior: The Science of Addiction
Since the 1930s, the response to drug addiction has moved from one that focuses on the need to punish users to another that recognises the importance of prevention and treatment approaches.
In other words, thanks to scientific advances...
Synthetic Cannabinoids: What Health Risks Do They Pose?
Cannabis is the most widely used illegal drug in the US and in Europe. Recently, a range of new substances that have similar effects have become available. These are known as synthetic cannabinoids (SCs). Little is known about the risks...
Socioeconomic Position and Adolescent Drinking: What's the Link?
To what extent does socioeconomic position affect adolescent drinking behaviours?
A new article recently published in the academic journal BMC Public Health addresses this question in the context of six different European countries among...
Why Are Many American Adults Misusing Prescription Painkillers?
Prescription painkillers are second only to marijuana as the United States drug of choice. Around 91.8 million Americans aged 18 and above used prescription painkillers in 2014, according to the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health...
Preventing Marijuana Use among Youth and Young Adults
Preventing Marijuana Use among Youth and Young Adults is a new release from the US Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
It provides the latest facts about marijuana use in the United States and includes...
Effect of Marijuana Use on Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Mortality
Abstract
Background
Reports associate marijuana use with cardiovascular emergencies. Studies relating marijuana use to cardiovascular mortality are scarce. Recent advance towards marijuana use legalization emphasizes the importance of...
Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention: A Potential Role in Cancer Prevention for Young Adults
Excessive or risky alcohol use is a preventable cause of significant morbidity and mortality in the U.S. and worldwide. Alcohol use is a common preventable cancer risk factor among young adults; it is associated with increased risk of...
The Effects of Cannabis among Adults with Chronic Pain and an Overview of General Harms
Abstract
Background: Cannabis is increasingly available for the treatment of chronic pain, yet its efficacy remains uncertain.
Purpose: To review the benefits of plant-based cannabis preparations for treating chronic pain in adults...
Evidence Lacking on Benefits of Cannabis for Treating Chronic Pain or PTSD
By Kelly Young
Edited by David G. Fairchild, MD, MPH, and Jaye Elizabeth Hefner, MD
Evidence is limited on the benefits of cannabis use for treating chronic pain and post-traumatic stress disorder, according to two reviews in the Anna...
EMCDDA Insights: Prevention of Substance Abuse
Prevention of Substance Abuse by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) is a report that draws on evidence-based research to assess substance use prevention interventions, in terms of their ability to...
Principles of Substance Abuse Prevention for Early Childhood
The National Institute on Drug Abuse’s (NIDA) Principles of Substance Abuse Prevention for Early Childhood (2017) is a special volume that supplements the organisation’s Preventing Drug Abuse Among Children and Adolescents, released in 2003...
Online Drinking Interventions Shown to be Effective for Armed Service Personnel
Almost two thirds of men in the UK Armed Forces are considered to drink harmful amounts of alcohol.
This is compared with around one third of the average population.
According to a new study published in the Journal of the Royal Army...
Heavy Drinking and the Adolescent Brain
During adolescence, the brain is still maturing. This includes not only biological, but also psychosocial behavioural development.
So, what are the effects of heavy drinking on the adolescent brain?
This question is the focus of a...
WHO's 2017 Global Tobacco Epidemic Report
The latest report on the global tobacco epidemic from the World Health Organization (WHO) is now available to download.
Among its key findings is that around 4.7 billion people (63% of the world’s population) are now covered by at least...
Equipping Community Pharmacy Workers as Agents for Health Behaviour Change
Abstract
Objective: To develop a complex intervention for community pharmacy staff to promote uptake of smoking cessation services and to increase quit rates.
Design: Following the Medical Research Council framework, we used a mixed...
Tobacco Cessation Guidelines for High Risk Populations
The book “Tobacco Cessation Guidelines for High Risk Populations” is the main result of the TOB.g partnership, coordinated by the Hellenic Center for Disease Control & Prevention and consisted of four partners and specifically ENSP, CMT...
Preventing Drug-Related Deaths
Drug-related deaths are rising and are a major concern to councils and our health partners. Deaths have increased sharply over the past five years and are now at their highest levels since records began.
Any death related to the misuse...
The Effectiveness of Illegal Drug Interventions
This Health Research Board document reviews evidence on the effectiveness of interventions in the areas of prevention, harm reduction and long-term recovery from addiction to illegal drugs.
It asks which interventions are effective for:
...
Compilation of Evidence-Based Family Skills Training Programmes
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s (UNODC) Compilation of Evidence-Based Family Skills Training Programmes offers a treasure trove of information on such initiatives, answering key questions like:
- Who is the target group?
- W...
What Is Known about New Psychoactive Substances?
New psychoactive substances (NPS), sometimes referred to as ‘legal highs’, are new drugs that have received much media attention of late.
A new study published in Public Health Research reviewed existing research into NPS with the view...