Adolescent Substance Use and Related Harms

Dear Colleagues,

The high rates of substance use among youth (particularly alcohol, cannabis, and nicotine products), and the negative effects on their well-being, are a significant public health issue. Globally, rates of substance use during adolescence and young adulthood are higher than at any other age across the lifespan. Youth are also more likely to use substances in risky ways contributing to high rates of unintentional injuries and death, as well as a variety of social problems, such as academic difficulties and mental health. This Special Issue seeks to advance our understanding of the dynamic and emerging substance use trends and correlates of use among youth and inform public health responses to mitigate substance-related risk. Manuscripts that advance our knowledge on the antecedents, consequences, and prevention of youth substance use are welcome. The population of interest includes adolescents (12–17 years of age) and young adults (18–25 years of age). Both qualitative and quantitative studies are encouraged. Papers that focus on the risks associated with polysubstance use and other high-risk and emerging substance use trends among youth (i.e., vaping, use of edibles, misuse of prescription drugs) are preferred.

The keywords listed below provide an outline of some of the possible areas of interest.

Dr. Kara Thompson
Prof. Dr. Scott Leatherdale
Prof. Dr. Conor Gilligan
Dr. Hannah Allen
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.