The third edition of NZ Drug Foundation annual report on how New Zealand is dealing with alcohol and other drugs was published in December 2020.

The aim of State of the Nation is to provide a backdrop against which we can assess the impact of any policy changes. 

The 2020 report is designed to provide a benchmark to assess whether recent reforms are delivering on their promises.

Rates of harmful alcohol use remain of concern in New Zealand, and cannabis use is rising - but tobacco use is going down. Methamphetamine use remained relatively steady across the population as a whole last year...

UNODC has launched a new survey to collect feedback on the World Drug Report.

The objective of this survey is to maintain the relevance of the World Drug Report by understanding how it is used and the extent to which it fulfils the needs and expectations of its readers.

The deadline for submission is the 21st of September.

The Australian Government has released a new strategy to address alcohol-related harms in Australian communities. These harms include violence, disease, injuries, road deaths and an estimated 4,000 alcohol-attributable deaths per year1.

The new National Alcohol Strategy, which sits as a sub-strategy under the National Drug Strategy 2017-2026, is the result of years of consultation with a wide range of stakeholders.

The release of the new National Alcohol Strategy means that all levels of government are empowered to take coordinated action to reduce the harms from alcohol in Australia.

If...

Summary

Tobacco, alcohol and illicit drug use can place a heavy burden on individuals, families and society. The health,
social and economic effects are diverse and substantial, and include disease and injury, mental health
conditions, road accidents, family and domestic violence, and other crime.

This report presents key results from the 2019 National Drug Strategy Household Survey. It looks at people’s
drug use throughout their lives and during the last 12 months, and examines how these patterns have
changed over time. It also asks people for their opinions on a range of initiatives...

The aim of this paper is to analyse changes in alcohol consumption since the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We show that the frequency of alcohol consumption during COVID-19 is slightly higher for males than it was 2-3 years previously, and substantially higher for females.

While Australians are more likely to say that their alcohol consumption has decreased than say that it has increased since the spread of COVID-19, self-reported increases in alcohol consumption were larger than in surveys prior to COVID-19.

There was a larger self-reported increase in alcohol consumption for females...

The reporting on this social justice and welfare impacting catastrophe remains not only sporadic but, it is incomplete in scope and context particularly around alcohol and other drug (AOD) issues. Just one report stated that; Nearly three in 10 young people felt that alcohol and drugs was a problem for their family and peers. Heavy drinking and drug use has placed thousands of high school students at a disadvantage in life, but they’re not the ones with the problem.  

Previous reports clearly show substance use contributes to not only neglect but direct harms to children, but over recent...

This webinar focuses on the issue of self-care for addiction professionals and was delivered by ICUDDR Deputy Director Cary Hopkins Eyles.

Many of us are drawn to work in the field of substance use disorders due to our history, family, and personal traits, such as compassion and empathy. While these can be great assets, they can also be detrimental to us personally.

In this webinar, Cary explains how to identify healthy and unhealthy traits, how we can care for ourselves, and what authentic self-care looks like.

Cary has worked in the field of substance use disorders for 18 years. She is...

Taking drugs influences your ability to drive safely putting yourself and those around you at risk.

In a bid to prevent harm caused by drug driving, the New Zealand Government have introduced police random roadside drug testing.

Drivers who are tested positive for drugs will be fined and suspended from driving.

Ross Bell, NZ Drug Foundation Executive Director says: 

“The Government’s announcement sends a clear message to New Zealanders that drug driving is illegal and that the Government is committed to investing and providing the tools and resources needed to police to ensure that this...

The Illicit Drug Reporting System (IDRS) is an ongoing illicit drug monitoring system which has been conducted in all states and territories of Australia since 2000 and forms part of Drug Trends.

This year, we have provided a suite of products with the most up-to-date findings from interviews conducted annually from 2000-2019 with a cross-sectional sentinel group of people who regularly inject drugs.

This includes:

1. A report overviewing the key findings in 2019
2. An infographic summarising key findings in 2019
3. A PowerPoint slide deck comprising key figures that display trends of interest
...