More than 6 000 drug users die of overdose each year in the European Union, and most of these deaths occur among problem drug users and involve opioids. In addition, many deaths related indirectly to drug use occur each year. To gain a clearer picture of the overall number of lives lost due to...

This miniguide is one of a larger set, which together comprise Health and social responses to drug problems: a European guide. It provides an overview of what to consider when planning or delivering health and social responses to drug-related problems in local communities, and reviews the...

In 2016, the World Health Assembly endorsed the first global health sector strategy on viral hepatitis. The aim of the strategy is to eliminate viral hepatitis as a major public health threat by 2030. In Europe, people who inject drugs (PWID) are at high risk of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and...

In a Selected issue on 'Cocaine and crack cocaine: a growing public health issue' the EMCDDA shows that, in some European countries, there has been a marked increase in recent years in the use of cocaine, in treatment demands for cocaine problems and in seizures of the drug. The potential for...

A higher prevalence of communicable diseases among people in prison compared with the general public is recognised as a public health issue as well as a major concern for the people affected, as the majority of incarcerated people return to their communities. Active case finding is a key...

Injecting drugs is a key risk factor for contracting viral and other infections. Blood-borne infections acquired through the sharing of injecting equipment are among the most serious health harms of drug use. The drug-related infectious disease (DRID) indicator collects data on the extent of...