Drug‐related mortality is a key epidemiological indicator that is collected nationally and internationally. Significant efforts were made in 2006–2007 to improve the quality of data concerning drug‐related mortality in the Czech Republic. The aim of this article is to identify the effect of a quality improvement project on the drug‐induced mortality data reported in the General Mortality Registry (GMR)

The increasing trend of synthetic drug use has been a significant concern in China. The current research adopted a gendered perspective to examine the effects of self‐control, drug‐use peers and family attachment on drug use frequency in China.

Several questionnaires have been developed for screening cannabis use disorder in clinical populations, but very few studies have compared the screening abilities of the different instruments. Here, we aimed to confirm the psychometric properties of a French version of the Cannabis Use Disorder Identification Test—Revised (CUDIT‐R), and to compare its screening abilities with those of the Cannabis

People living with HIV who use drugs commonly experience chronic pain and often use illicit opioids to manage pain. Recent research suggests people living with HIV use cannabis for pain relief, including as an adjunct to opioids. This underscores the need to better understand how people living with HIV who use drugs use cannabis for pain management, particularly as cannabis markets are undergoing changes

High rates of tobacco smoking among people who are homeless or living in temporary accommodation exacerbate poor health outcomes and financial disadvantage. There is limited research on this population's perceptions of smoking cessation benefits or support strategies.

With the advancement and rapid increase in the public's interest in utilisation of Internet and mobile phones, technology‐based interventions are being implemented across a range of health conditions to improve patient outcomes. The aim of this review was to summarise findings from systematic reviews that evaluated the effectiveness of technology‐based smoking cessation interventions and to critically

Even as women's roles have expanded substantially beyond traditional sex stereotypes, women are still commonly portrayed as uncomplaining caregivers, long‐suffering intimate partners and in control of family matters, all while maintaining a sexualised femininity. Nowhere are these stereotypes and expectations more apparent than for mothers. However, some social media are exploiting mothers by inappropriately

Many community sporting clubs in Australia sell alcohol, but many do not comply with laws that require verification of age and forbid underage alcohol sales. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of an intervention that incorporated sales monitoring and community awareness raising to improve compliance with alcohol service regulations in community sporting clubs.

Alcohol use has been shown to impact on various forms of liver disease, not restricted to alcoholic liver disease.

The Cannabis sativa L. plant contains hundreds of phytocannabinoids, but putatively of highest importance to public health risk is the psychoactive cannabinoid delta‐9‐tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is associated with risk for cannabis use disorder, affective disturbance, cognitive harm and psychomotor impairment. Recently, there has been an increase in the use and availability of concentrated cannabis

There are high rates of cognitive impairment among people seeking treatment for problematic substance use, which is rarely addressed in treatment programs. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the feasibility and outcomes of the neuropsychological and educational approach to cognitive remediation (NEAR) in a residential substance treatment setting.

Although roll‐your‐own (RYO) loose tobacco is increasingly popular among smokers, no jurisdictions have used RYO‐specific pictorial warning labels (PWL) on tobacco packaging. We explored how New Zealand RYO smokers, a population with over 10 years of exposure to PWLs, reacted to RYO‐specific warnings featuring novel themes.

E‐cigarettes containing nicotine may potentially assist cessation in a heavily nicotine‐dependent population with high relapse and tobacco‐related burden. This study aims to determine alcohol and other drug (AOD) health‐care provider and client awareness, use and attitudes regarding harm reduction and safety of e‐cigarettes.

Tobacco smoking prevalence in Indonesia is among the highest in the world. Research worldwide identifies that physical access to tobacco through retail outlets is related to increased tobacco smoking. Tobacco outlet density is very high in many Indonesian cities, so tobacco access may contribute to the high prevalence of tobacco use in that country. The aim of this study was to examine distributions

Literature notes the efficacious use of alcohol ignition interlock devices (IID) in reducing rates of drinking and driving while installed on the vehicle. Some drivers who are convicted of driving while intoxicated (DWI) elect to have their license suspended/revoked instead of installing the device. These individuals represent a high‐risk subsample of drivers, yet limited literature has addressed this

Although bans or restrictions on alcohol advertising are recommended as one of the three most effective and cost‐effective policies to curb alcohol consumption, the best evidence to support this is indirect. The aim of this study was to examine whether the complete ban on alcohol advertising in Norway in 1975 had any effect on total alcohol sales.

Awareness of hepatitis C virus (HCV) status among people who inject drugs is critical to ensure linkage to care and reduce transmission risk. Testing pathways, confusion about results and possible reinfection raise potential for discordance between perceived and actual HCV status among people who inject drugs. We evaluated self‐reported and serologically confirmed HCV status concordance among a sample

There is growing interest in the role of the non‐government sector in the alcohol and other drug (AOD) service delivery system. This study examined the demographic profile of AOD workers in the non‐government (NGO) compared to government sector, to ascertain their professional development needs, job satisfaction, retention and turnover.

Accurate and timely information about nicotine and alcohol consumption is needed to inform effective policy. Wastewater‐based epidemiology provides an opportunity to quantify consumption, which can complement traditional data collection methods.

Adolescent drinking has been declining in Australia over the past two decades, but this trend may be part of a broader shift towards healthier lifestyles for adolescents. We examined trends in the prevalence of multiple risky health‐ and school‐related behaviours and outcomes to test whether this was the case.

This study investigates whether there is a relationship between alcohol and cocaine use in deaths where suicide by self‐injury is the suspected cause of death.

‘Count your drinks’ is a protective behavioural strategy (PBS) that has been found to be effective in reducing alcohol consumption. Previous research has shown that females, older people and low‐risk drinkers are more likely to use this strategy, but little is known about the attitudinal factors associated with engaging in drink counting. This information is important for developing effective interventions

Wearable devices that obtain transdermal alcohol concentration (TAC) could become valuable research tools for monitoring alcohol consumption levels in naturalistic environments if the TAC they produce could be converted into quantitatively‐meaningful estimates of breath alcohol concentration (eBrAC). Our team has developed mathematical models to produce eBrAC from TAC, but it is not yet clear how a

SMART Recovery is a popular mutual support group program. Little is known about its suitability or perceived helpfulness for Indigenous peoples. This study explored the cultural utility of SMART Recovery in an Australian Aboriginal context.

Nationally representative studies of the combined impact of drinking and body mass (BMI) on mortality outcomes are unavailable. We investigate whether both act together to elevate risk of all‐cause or liver mortality.

There is a concern in many countries about violence from late‐night alcohol sales and appropriate regulatory responses. However, economic losses arising from this activity rarely feature in public debate. Credible estimates are lacking because economic evaluations have not taken a ‘societal perspective’, costing health, policing and criminal justice outcomes. Our aims were to: (i) develop an analytic

New Zealand recently held the world's first national referendum on cannabis legalisation involving a detailed bill to regulate retail sale and supply of cannabis for recreational (non‐medical) adult use (i.e. the Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill; CLCB). The referendum generated significant domestic debate and lobbying from both sides of the issue. The CLCB was narrowly defeated, with 48.4% voting

Alcohol advertising is prevalent on social media. The current study sought to identify effective message types to pair with social media alcohol ads to minimise purchase intentions associated with exposure.

Calls to provide sanctioned drug‐checking (pill testing) at Australian music festivals have been met with resistance from most governments due to concerns that such services would increase use of ecstasy and other drugs. We investigated that concern and used the Theory of Planned Behaviour to examine the determinants of intention to use a drug‐checking service.

In this issue of Drug and Alcohol Review, in a section entitled ‘Alcohol trends and policies in the wider world – beyond a Eurocentric view’, four overview papers are presented [1-4], which describe regional trends in alcohol use, attributable harm and policy. These papers are part of an effort to expand the base of epidemiological data and policy experience beyond the high‐income countries so that

The aim of this paper is to describe the context of alcohol use and problems in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), the environmental context for alcohol‐related policy, drinking trends, harm and policy and to systematically review policies implemented to reduce alcohol‐related burden.

Sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA) has long been characterised as a region with weak alcohol policies, high proportions of abstainers and heavy episodic drinkers (among drinkers), and as a target for market expansion by global alcohol producers. However, inter‐regional analyses of these issues are seldom conducted.

Sales and survey data have shown a decline in alcohol consumption in Russia since 2007. This study examines whether this decline is consistent across lighter and heavier drinkers in line with the theory of the collectivity of drinking cultures.

Despite the association of alcohol use with recurrent suicidal acts, individuals attempting suicide after drinking alcohol face barriers accessing crisis care following emergency assessment, demonstrated by higher odds of inpatient admission for those whose suicide attempt did not feature alcohol. This disparity may be due to suicidality dissipating more rapidly after a suicide attempt involving alcohol

To examine changes in drinking patterns and to assess factors associated with reported increases in frequency of drinking, units consumed and frequency of heavy episodic drinking (HED) during the UK lockdown.

Alcohol poses a range of potential problems to people taking medications, but health professionals are usually not comfortable talking about drinking with patients. The Medicines and Alcohol Consultation aims to increase the capacity of pharmacists to conduct person‐centred reviews in which alcohol is regarded as another drug to be discussed alongside medications. This paper explores sensitivities

Timely rollout and widespread uptake of safe and effective vaccines will be necessary to reduce mortality, improve health outcomes, restore societal well‐being and inspire economic recovery from the coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) pandemic. Unprecedented efforts to accelerate vaccine development have resulted in the emergency or expedited approval of several COVID‐19 vaccines [1]. The Australian Government

While treatment is an effective way to resolve alcohol problems, many people resolve their alcohol problems in the absence of treatment. Just how many do so is not known and may vary based on the definition of treatment. Various estimates of untreated alcohol problem resolution were calculated in this study, and the differences between people who resolve their alcohol problems with or without treatment

The relationship between cannabis use and hypertension is not clear based on prior epidemiological studies. Thus, we examined this relationship over a 3‐year follow‐up period using a large population‐based sample from the USA.

We examined trends in Australian treatment episodes for smoking and injecting methamphetamine from 2003 to 2019.

This paper aims to describe cocaine use, markets and harms in Australia from 2003 to 2019.

Illicitly manufactured fentanyl continues to fuel the opioid overdose crisis throughout the USA and Canada. However, little is known about factors associated with knowingly or unknowingly using fentanyl. Therefore, we sought to identify the prevalence and correlates of suspected/known and unknown exposure to fentanyl (excluding the prescribed one) among people who inject drugs (PWID), including associated

Individuals with substance use problems are at greater risk of chronic diseases due to their unhealthy lifestyle behaviours (e.g. alcohol use, smoking, physical inactivity, poor nutrition). There is increasing evidence that health risk communication is crucial in improving risk perception and knowledge of chronic diseases, and both factors are associated with health behaviour change. The aim of this

Little empirical evidence exists about the efficacy of labelling and marketing restrictions in a regulated cannabis market. This study examined perceptions of cannabis product packaging designs, health warning labels (HWL) and perceptions of packs displaying brand imagery and leading descriptors on measures of appeal, and perceived consumer attributes.

Illicit drug use while admitted to hospital is common amongst people who use drugs. Furthermore, non‐medical prescription opioid use (NMPOU) is increasingly being used by this population. This study was undertaken to investigate the relationship between NMPOU and having ever reported using illicit drugs in the hospital.

Effective alcohol control measures can prevent and reduce alcohol‐related harms at the population level. This study aims to evaluate implementation of alcohol policies across 11 evidence‐based domains in Canada's 13 jurisdictions.

Alcohol and other drug (AOD) work can be highly meaningful and satisfying, but also intense and highly demanding. This combination often creates significant strain for workers. Mirroring this complexity, this study considered the predictors and outcomes of the concurrent experience of burnout and engagement in AOD workers. The Job Demands‐Resources model informed the study.

This study investigated substance use and help‐seeking among justice‐involved young people to inform and improve service provision during and after contact with the justice system.

Local governments (LG) have a key role in reducing alcohol‐related harm, yet, Australian research investigating this is limited. This study aimed to explore Australian LGs' role in alcohol policy by investigating how LGs respond to alcohol‐related harm and what influences their responses.

The ageing of baby boomers is expected to confront addiction care with new challenges. This cohort had greater exposure to psychoactive substances in youth than earlier cohorts. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether Berlin addiction care is confronted with a sustained change in its clientele initiated by the baby boomers.

This paper compares consequences of cannabis use initiated after high school with those of cannabis initiation in adolescence, with estimates of the proportion of adverse consequences accounted for by adult‐onset and adolescent‐onset cannabis users.

Stigmatisation of alcohol and other drug (AOD) use disorders poses a significant barrier to treatment access. A review by the World Health Organization concluded that addictive disorders were the most stigmatised health condition. Few studies have examined whether different etiological models of addiction (MOA) have implications for public stigma toward AOD disorders. The current study examined whether

The ability to accurately detect alcohol intoxication is an important skill for people who use these substances and for a variety of professions (e.g. policing, responsible service of alcohol). Previous studies have found that intoxicated people are generally poor at estimating their own intoxication (particularly at high blood alcohol concentration; BAC) and the relationship between perceived intoxication

Buprenorphine is a partial opioid agonist commonly used to treat opioid dependence. The pharmacology of buprenorphine increases the risk of a precipitated opioid withdrawal when commencing patients on buprenorphine treatment, particularly when transferring from long acting opioids (e.g. methadone). There is little documented experience regarding the management of precipitated withdrawal. In our case

Smokeless tobacco (ST) is the predominant form of tobacco used in Bangladesh and is associated with adverse health outcomes. Bangladesh ratified the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in 2004. There are concerns that FCTC legislation and implementation of ST control policy is insufficient in Bangladesh. The aim of this study was to investigate the achievements

Alcohol is the only substance commonly used for intoxication that is not subject to an international agreement regulating its trade in the interest of public health and welfare [1]. Rather, it is commonly dealt with in international trade as an ordinary item of consumption and, indeed, is subject to fewer international regulations, for instance, on labelling of ingredients, than other foodstuffs [2]

Alcohol use is a leading risk factor for death and disability, responsible for 3 million deaths in 2016. The alcohol industry is a powerful player in shaping trade and investment rules in ways that can constrain the ability of governments to regulate alcoholic beverages to reduce harm. This paper analyses publicly available submissions about alcohol in the context of Australia's free trade agreements

Administrative health databases (AHD) are critical to guide health service management and can inform the whole spectrum of substance‐related disorders (SRD). This study estimates prevalence and mortality rates of SRD in administrative health databases.

Night‐time entertainment precincts (NEP) are the site of a disproportionate amount of alcohol‐related violence, injuries and anti‐social behaviour. To combat this the Queensland government introduced patron bans in October 2014, giving police the power to exclude individuals from NEPs and preventing patrons from remaining in or entering the designated area or from designated premises for the ban duration

Youth work specialises in helping vulnerable young people face life challenges during critical stages of their development. It is a complex and demanding role and factors influencing occupational stress in youth workers are rarely investigated. This study examined whether youth alcohol and other drug workers with greater compassion satisfaction, self‐care practice and self‐care agency experienced different