International Journal of Drug Policy This is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader or to display this data on your own website or blog.

Chemsex and mental health as part of syndemic in gay and bisexual men
A commentary is provided on the study reported by Garrett Prestage and his colleagues, which examined the relations between mental health states, non-injection drug use and sexual risk behaviors in a cross-sectional sample of 3,017Australian gay and bisexual men. We provide a summary of the findings in relation to the extant literature on the interconnectedness of these behaviors and health states and interpret the findings in this regard, noting both strengths and limitations. We couch our commentary in a theory of syndemics for considering how these associations may manifest and for informing both research and practice. ...
Source: International Journal of Drug Policy - April 13, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Perry N. Halkitis, Stuart N. Singer Source Type: research

Drug-related homicide in Europe —First review of data and sources
This study aimed to identify relevant European data sources on DRH, to assess the role of drugs in national homicide data, and to assess these sources and data in terms of monitoring potential. (Source: International Journal of Drug Policy)
Source: International Journal of Drug Policy - April 13, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Roel de Bont, Teodora Groshkova, Andrew Cunningham, Marieke Liem Tags: Research Paper Source Type: research

Employment and paid work among participants in a randomized controlled trial comparing diacetylmorphine and hydromorphone
Employment is one of the less studied but a significant outcome of medication-assisted treatment. Thus, we aimed to explore employment outcomes of medication-assisted treatment with hydromorphone (HDM) or diacetylmorphine (DAM). The secondary aim was to estimate characteristics of this population as well as treatment-related factors associated with these outcomes. (Source: International Journal of Drug Policy)
Source: International Journal of Drug Policy - April 12, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Mohammadali Nikoo, Marc Vogel, Fiona Choi, Michael J. Song, Jensen Burghardt, Zafar Zafari, Katarina Tabi, Anastasia Frank, Skye Barbic, Christian Sch ütz, Kerry Jang, Michael Krausz Tags: Research Paper Source Type: research

Hepatitis C virus status awareness and test results confirmation among people who inject drugs in Ukraine
Among the estimated 340,000 people who inject drugs (PWID) in Ukraine, HCV prevalence is approximately 70%. As HCV treatment availability increases, an assessment of the HCV treatment cascade is needed to guide HCV prevention and treatment strategies. (Source: International Journal of Drug Policy)
Source: International Journal of Drug Policy - April 12, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Olena Iakunchykova, Anna Meteliuk, Alexei Zelenev, Alyona Mazhnaya, Melissa Tracy, Frederick L. Altice Tags: Research Paper Source Type: research

Substance Use and Sex Index (SUSI): First stage development of an assessment tool to measure behaviour change in sexualised drug use for substance use treatment studies
Existing tools for measuring blood-borne virus (BBV) and sexually transmitted infection (STI) transmission risk behaviours in substance use interventions have limited capacity to assess risk behaviours across varied social, cultural and epidemiological contexts; have not evolved alongside HIV treatment and prevention innovations; or accounted for sexual contexts of drug use including among a range of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) sub-communities. The Substance Use and Sex Index (SUSI) is a new brief, simple tool being developed to assess change in HIV and STI risk behaviours for substance...
Source: International Journal of Drug Policy - April 11, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Nadine Ezard, Beatrice Webb, Brendan Clifford, Michael E. Cecilio, Amanda Jellie, Toby Lea, Craig Rodgers, Simon Ruth, Raimondo Bruno Source Type: research

Medical cannabis: An oxymoron? Physicians ’ perceptions of medical cannabis
Medical cannabis policies are changing in many places around the world, and physicians play a major role in the implementation of these policies. The aim of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of physicians ’ views on medical cannabis and its possible integration into their clinic, as well as to identify potential underlying factors that influence these perceptions. (Source: International Journal of Drug Policy)
Source: International Journal of Drug Policy - April 10, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Yuval Zolotov, Simon Vulfsons, Dana Zarhin, Sharon Sznitman Tags: Research paper Source Type: research

New psychoactive substances in oral fluid of French and Belgian drivers in 2016
New psychoactive substances (NPS) are new narcotic or psychotropic drugs, in pure form or in preparation, which are not controlled by the 1961 United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs or the 1971 United Nations Convention on Psychotropic Substances (Nichols, 2011). NPS concern substances that usually (but not exclusively) replicate chemical structures and/or pharmacological effects of classical drugs of abuse (DOA), such as ecstasy, amphetamine, opiates, cocaine or cannabis. The use and online availability (on specialized websites) of NPS has rapidly increased over the last decade. (Source: International Journal of Drug Policy)
Source: International Journal of Drug Policy - April 7, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Camille Richeval, Sarah Maria Richarda Wille, M élodie Nachon-Phanithavong, Nele Samyn, Delphine Allorge, Jean-michel Gaulier Tags: Short Report Source Type: research

Islam and cannabis: Legalisation and religious debate in Iran
Iran is currently discussing cannabis and opium regulations, which could bring a legalisation of drug consumption through a state supervised system. The article engages with the question of cannabis by looking at the legal interpretation of religious authorities in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The choice of Iran is justified for several reasons: firstly, Iran has a long history of drug use and cannabis has been part of the country ’s intoxicant traditions since times immemorial; secondly, the Iranian state is unique in that it combines religious exegesis with political machination through official channels; finally, amo...
Source: International Journal of Drug Policy - April 7, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Maziyar Ghiabi, Masoomeh Maarefvand, Hamed Bahari, Zohreh Alavi Tags: Research Paper Source Type: research

Prohibition, regulation or laissez faire: The policy trade-offs of cannabis policy
Trade-offs are central to the cannabis policy debate. Prohibition and strict regulation may help reduce the physical, mental and social harms of cannabis consumption, but at the cost of increasing the harms from illegal markets and reducing consumption benefits. An economic model clarifies how these costs and benefits relate to policy and connects them to observable prices and tax-levels given the assumptions of the analysis. These model- based arguments are related to the ongoing academic policy debate. (Source: International Journal of Drug Policy)
Source: International Journal of Drug Policy - April 7, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Ole Rogeberg Source Type: research

The opioid epidemic and injection drug use: MIPIE and health harms related to the injection of prescription opioids
America ’s 21st century opioid epidemic is distinguished by the high proportion of people using heroin and illicitly-manufactured fentanyl who initiated their opioid use with prescription opioids (POs) that were either prescribed to them or diverted and used for nonmedical reasons (Jones, Logan, Gladden,& Bohm, 2015). Among this new generation of opioid users, many have turned to injection drug use (IDU) as their primary route of drug administration. This transition pattern has contributed to a nationwide increase in the number of people who inject drugs (PWID) (Suryaprasad et al., 2014), with a particularly sharp increa...
Source: International Journal of Drug Policy - April 5, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Pedro Mateu-Gelabert, Honoria Guarino Tags: Response Source Type: research

Reefer madness or much ado about nothing? Cannabis legalization outcomes among young adults in the United States
In 2012, Colorado became one of the first two U.S. States to legalize cannabis for recreational use for adults 21 and older. Given that cannabis use holds potential physical and mental health risks, particularly among adolescent users, concerns have grown regarding changes in use following this change in policy. Studies examining medical cannabis legalization have found inconsistent changes in cannabis use and prevalence of dependence following medical implementation. However, recreational legalization holds potential unique changes, such as increased availability and social acceptance, as well as decreased price and perce...
Source: International Journal of Drug Policy - April 4, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Jamie E. Parnes, Joey K. Smith, Bradley T. Conner Tags: Research Paper Source Type: research