ISSUP at the 60th Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs
Earlier this week ISSUP attended the 60th Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) at the Vienna International Centre.
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Podcast: Do Tobacco Cessation Interventions Provided during Substance Abuse Treatment or Recovery Help Tobacco Users to Quit?
Smoking rates in people with alcohol and other drug dependencies are two to four times those of the general population. Concurrent treatment of tobacco dependence has been limited due to concern that these interventions are not successful...
Opioids Linked to Increase in Cocaine-Related Overdose Deaths
Heroin and synthetic opioids are propelling an upsurge of late in cocaine-related overdose deaths. This is according to a national survey carried out by researchers at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) amongst other drug...
Alcohol Use Disorders Webinar
The Progress in Mind Resource Centre held a one-hour webinar on alcohol use disorders. The webinar was delivered by Wim van den Brink, Professor of Psychiatry and Addiction at the University of Amsterdam, and Steve Brinksman, GP and...
The Opiate Epidemic - Free Access Article Collection
Although the abuse of many substances has declined across the globe in recent years, the misuse of prescription and non-medical pharmaceutical opioids has significantly increased. The Taylor & Francis Group, which publishes peer-reviewed...
Synthetic Drugs on the Rise in Afghanistan
Seizures of methamphetamine have increased in Afghanistan, according to a new report from the United Nations drug and crime agency. It also suggests that the drug is being produced inside the country.
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime...
The Punjabi Problem: Drug Use in One of India’s Wealthiest Regions
According to the BBC, a recent government-conducted investigation suggests that more than 860,000 young men (15 – 35) in the Punjab region of India take drugs. This is three times the national average. Heroin is used by 53% of all...
Thousands Die without Access to Alcohol Treatment
The BBC reports that almost 8,000 high-risk drinkers died from alcohol-related causes in Wales, UK between 2005 – 2014 without having received treatment for alcohol addiction. This is despite repeated hospital and A&E admissions for as much...
Treating Alcohol Addiction with Positive Relationships
A ‘therapeutic alliance’, or in other words, a positive and trusting relationship between counsellor and patient, could be the key to successful treatment of alcohol addiction, according to a new study. Patients who reported a more positive...
Revealed: The Global Cost of Smoking
Smoking and its related harms cost the world more than $1 trillion and claim the lives of around 6 million people each year, according to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Cancer Institute.
$1 trillion...
Inside a Killer Drug Epidemic: A Look at America’s Opioid Crisis
The New York Times article traces the impact of America's opioid epidemic on Americans of all backgrounds throughout the country. Photos depict the human face of a tragedy that is taking too many lives.
Suicide and Substance Abuse
New research has found a significant link between suicide risk and simultaneous cocaine and alcohol consumption.
The study examined the drug-taking habits of 874 participants hospitalised for displaying suicidal tendencies, ranging from...
Purple Drank: The New Drug of Choice for French Teenagers?
A news item currently trending in the French press concerns the alarming increase in consumption amongst French teenagers of a drink most commonly known as ‘purple drank’, but also referred to as ‘lean’ or ‘sizzurp’. Le Monde first reported...
Drogas: Proponen empezar la prevención con programas en los jardines de infantes
Este artículo destaca la colaboración entre el gobierno argentino y estadounidense en relación a reducción de la demanda. Ambos están trabajando con un enfoque en niños, particularmente en prevención de primer uso y tratamiento para pre...
Canadian Quits
The latest Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drug Survey (2015) reports a decrease in the number of smokers nationwide.
Click here to view the full set of results (available in both English and French).
Smoking and DNA Changes
Analyses have found a direct link between the number of cigarettes smoked during one's lifetime and the number of mutations in tumour DNA. Commenting on these findings, Prof. Sir Mike Stratton from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute notes...
Fentanyl Deaths Rise as Curbing Supply Proves Difficult
The November 2016 data chart of overdoses in Massachusetts shows a climbing blue line labeled “fentanyl”. Boston's National Public Radio station reports via article and audio clip on some of the challenges faced by law enforcement and...
Health Benefits from Stopping Smoking
Within as little as twenty minutes after your last cigarette your body begins to feel the effects of quitting. Health benefits from stopping smoking include, amongst other things, a decrease in heart rate and blood pressure, better...
Expanding Drug Markets in Australia
Recently sixteen people were hospitalised on the Gold Coast, Australia, after taking a new synthetic drug known as Flakka. One of those taken ill is said to be in a critical condition. Flakka takes the form of a white/pink crystal-like...
Rescued from Hell: Life after the High
This photo story documents the lives of children at a rehabilitation centre in Delhi. The majority of young drug users in India's capital city are addicted to marijuana and heroin. Rajesh Kumar, Executive Director of the Society for...