Reducing the risk factors and enhancing the protective factors associated with initiating substance use.
Prevention
Limited Opportunities? Caring for People with Substance Use Disorders
According to a new study, most health care professionals are given little opportunity to learn about substance abuse in pre-service educational programmes.
ISSUP at the 60th Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs
Earlier this week ISSUP attended the 60th Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) at the Vienna International Centre.
Evaluating Communities That Care (CTC)
‘Community coalitions’ is a preventative strategy that coordinates activities and resources to reduce adolescent substance use and delinquent behaviour, mobilising communities in the promotion of health and prevention initiatives...

Preventing and Treating Tobacco Use among Canadian Youth
The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care has issued a new evidence-based guideline for combatting tobacco use by children and young adults aged 5 – 18, suggesting that physicians ought to have a more active role in the prevention...
Can Drug Prevention Programmes Reduce Substance Use by Participants’ Friends?
Besides reducing substance use between its participants one prevention programme also reduced drug use among the friends of those who took part.
Great Resources for Teachers
Are you a teacher? Are you looking for materials or lesson plans on the effects of drugs and drug abuse? The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has created a great database of more than 70 teacher materials on the effects of drugs and...

Drug Misuse Prevention: Targeted Interventions
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has released guidelines that cover targeted interventions to prevent misuse of drugs, including illegal drugs, ‘legal highs’ and prescription-only medicines. It aims to prevent or...

Drugs on the Brain: Neurological Scans Predict Future Substance Use
A new study published in the journal Nature has found that brain scans can predict whether or not teenagers will develop drug taking behaviours later in life. A sample of 14-year-olds was assessed. The investigation reports that, from an...
Sleep and Substance Use: What’s the Link?
A new study reports a link between daytime tiredness and alcohol consumption, together with its related harms, in the future.