Drug and Alcohol Misuse

A collection of training materials compiled by STRADA, Scottish Training on Drugs and Alcohol.

Home Office Cannabis Potency Study 2008

Herbal cannabis and cannabis resin are the most widely-misused illicit substances in the UK. In 2006, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) reviewed the classification of cannabis. One of the recommendations was that a further study should be carried out to determine the market share of different types of cannabis and their potencies. The Home Office funded the project.

No Boundaries : Tayside Domestic Abuse and Substance Misuse Project : Final Research Report

This report presents the results of a secondary analysis of data collected for the Tayside Domestic Abuse and Substance Misuse Project by a different research team. The secondary analysis was conducted by Dolev & Associates, with funding from the Scottish Government Multiple and Complex Needs Initiative. An attempt was made to identify depositional and organisational factors that shape the experiences of women who are affected by domestic abuse and their own substance misuse at each stage of their service use.

Review of methadone in drug treatment: prescribing information and practice

The former First Minister, Jack McConnell, announced a review of the place of methadone in drug treatment programmes on 6 March 2006 following the death of 2 year old Derek Doran. This review was conducted at the same time as the wider inter-departmental programme of work being undertaken across the Executive on children in drug abusing households.

There is increasing public, political and media interest in the use of methadone in drug treatment and in the perceived public risk posed by ‘leakage’ into the wider community, particularly in relation to children.

Signs for improvement-commissioning interventions to reduce alcohol-related harm

This guidance is designed to direct commissioners in areas where tackling alcohol harm is an identified priority, to the resources and guidance, which will assist them in commissioning interventions to reduce alcohol-related harm in their local community. It offers ways to improve commissioning, looking at each World Class Commissioning competency and all stages in the commissioning cycle.

National and regional estimates of the prevalence of opiate use and/or crack cocaine use 2006/07: a summary of key findings

This report summarises the results of the third and final sweep of a study to estimate the prevalence of ‘problem drug use’ (defined as use of opiates and/or crack cocaine) nationally (England only), regionally, and locally. An overview of national and Government Office Region estimates are presented in this report, as are comparisons with the estimates produced by the second (2005/06) sweep of the study.

The Tayside Domestic Abuse and Substance Misuse Project : Final Research Report : Summary of Findings

This resource is a summary of a research report into the Tayside Domestic Abuse and Substance Misuse Project. The findings presented in this report include a review of the literature on the links between domestic abuse and substance misuse, and secondary analysis of service user questionnaires, interviews with service users and interviews with domestic abuse and substance misuse service providers.

Drug misuse and dependence : UK guidelines on clinical management

This resource is intended for all clinicians, especially those providing pharmacological interventions for drug misusers as a component of drug misuse treatment. The report discusses the effectiveness of drug treatment, the impact of drug misuse on families and communities, psychosocial components of treatment, health considerations including preventing drug-related death and blood-borne infections and considered specific treatment situations and populations such as mental health, criminal justice, pregnancy, young people and prisons.