Harm Reduction Responses in the Age of COVID-19
Documenting the experiences of people who use drugs in South Africa
Drugs in the Time of COVID: Interim Report
Since the beginning of the first national coronavirus lockdown, Release has operated a public, online survey designed to monitor how people are buying their drugs. The purpose of this survey, which is open to anyone residing in the UK over the age of 18, is to determine the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic, and corresponding restrictions, have had on buying illegal substances.
What is drug policy evaluation and why is it important?
Evaluation is essential for effective policymaking, helping ensure that policies and programmes have the desired effect, provide value for money and do not have negative unintended consequences. The importance of evaluation has been recognised in all EU drug strategies and in the strategies of many Member States.
Innovation and resilience in times of crisis: Civil society advocacy for drug policy reform under the COVID-19 pandemic
COVID-19 restrictions and their impacts on policymaking processes have not hampered civil society actors from continuing their advocacy work in drug policy and related sectors, albeit with notable adjustments in their ways of working.
Hepatitis C standards of care: A review of good practices since the advent of direct-acting antiviral therapy
This review found 13 well documented HCV good practices that have become the standard of care or that should become the standard of care as soon as possible.
Scottish government review of international approaches to drug law reform
This paper gives an overview of seven case studies in drug law reform approaches from five countries. It aims to support Scottish Government research and policy development regarding drug law and enforcement, and the work of the Drug Deaths Taskforce in identifying successful interventions and locating them within their legal and policing contexts.
Opioid agonist treatment could substantially reduce drug related deaths if used more widely
New evidence that opioid agonists such as methadone and buprenorphine could substantially reduce drug related deaths if more widely used in the community and prison, and for longer, has been published in Lancet Psychiatry.
Association between county jail incarceration and cause-specific county mortality in the USA, 1987–2017: a retrospective, longitudinal study
Mass incarceration has collateral consequences for community health, which are reflected in county-level health indicators, including county mortality rates. County jail incarceration rates are associated with all-cause mortality rates in the USA. We assessed the causes of death that drive the relationship between county-level jail incarceration and mortality.
Accelerated Overdose Deaths Linked With COVID-19
More than 81 000 people died of drug overdoses in the US between June 2019 and May 2020, a record-breaking number that CDC officials suggested is related to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Harm reduction in Europe: a framework for civil society-led monitoring
Civil society organisations (CSOs) play a vital role in developing and implementing effective measures to reduce the harms of drug use. They are also fundamental actors to monitor and evaluate programmes and policies for improvement. While harm reduction services are subject to monitoring, and international and European indicators exist, a framework for civil society-led monitoring does not exist. This paper analyses the challenges and added values of developing such a framework for the European region.
Share this on: