The International journal on drug policy
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Int. J. Drug Policy · Jul 2011
A qualitative evaluation of a peer-implemented overdose response pilot project in Gejiu, China.
A harm reduction NGO in southern Yunnan operating an emergency overdose response hotline service successfully reversed 76 overdoses through the administration of naloxone in one of the first interventions of its kind in China. ⋯ The authors explore possible strategies, including targeted trainings and new partnerships with local hospitals, to further reduce opiate overdose mortality in this resource-poor setting.
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Int. J. Drug Policy · Jul 2011
How do Australian news media depict illicit drug issues? An analysis of print media reporting across and between illicit drugs, 2003-2008.
Media reporting on illicit issues has been frequently criticised for being sensationalised, biased and narrow. Yet, there have been few broad and systematic analyses of the nature of reporting. Using a large sample and methods commonly adopted in media communications analysis this paper sought to identify the dominant media portrayals used to denote illicit drugs in Australian newspapers and to compare and contrast portrayals across drug types. ⋯ Media reporting on illicit drugs is heavily distorted towards crime and deviance framings, but may be less overtly sensationalised, biased and narrowly framed than previously suggested. This is not to suggest there is no sensationalism or imbalance, but this appears more associated with particular drug types and episodes of heightened public concern.
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Int. J. Drug Policy · Mar 2011
ReviewEffect of drug law enforcement on drug market violence: a systematic review.
Violence is amongst the primary concerns of communities around the world and research has demonstrated links between violence and the illicit drug trade, particularly in urban settings. Given the growing emphasis on evidence-based policy-making, and the ongoing severe drug market violence in Mexico and other settings, we conducted a systematic review to examine the impacts of drug law enforcement on drug market violence. We conducted a systematic review using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. ⋯ Our findings suggest that increasing drug law enforcement is unlikely to reduce drug market violence. Instead, the existing evidence base suggests that gun violence and high homicide rates may be an inevitable consequence of drug prohibition and that disrupting drug markets can paradoxically increase violence. In this context, and since drug prohibition has not meaningfully reduced drug supply, alternative regulatory models will be required if drug supply and drug market violence are to be meaningfully reduced.
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Int. J. Drug Policy · Mar 2011
ReviewAlcohol under the radar: do we have policy options regarding unrecorded alcohol?
According to the World Health Organization, the public health impact of illicit alcohol and informally produced alcohol should be reduced. This paper summarizes and evaluates the evidence base about policy and intervention options regarding unrecorded alcohol consumption. ⋯ Even though there are suggestions and theories on how to reduce unrecorded alcohol consumption, there is currently no clear evidence base on the effectiveness or cost effectiveness of available policy options. In addition, the differences in consumption levels, types of unrecorded alcohol, culture and tradition point to different measures in different parts of the world. Thus, the recommendation of a framework for moving forward in decision making currently seems premature. Instead, there is a need for systematic research.
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Int. J. Drug Policy · Mar 2011
ReviewBZP-party pills: a review of research on benzylpiperazine as a recreational drug.
BZP-party pills are yet another 'designer drug' which mimics the stimulant qualities of amphetamines and MDMA/Ecstasy. As legal markets for the substance have developed in the last decade (especially amongst young people) so has public and governmental concern. ⋯ With increasing controls of BZP-party pills, and with the increasing numbers of 'legal highs' and new designer drugs on the market, we conclude that new legal alternatives will continue to surface to replace the drug in the future. Considering a harm reduction approach to drug taking, it is suggested that policy makers consider the creation of a legal holding category which restricts and regulates the market in legal highs whilst the social and health harms associated with each drug can be thoroughly investigated.