Substance and Drug Abuse Prevention

Dear Colleagues,

The misuse of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs is a critical public health problem worldwide, associated with significant health and social problems for individuals, families, communities, and countries. Whereas in some countries the production, trafficking, and consumption of some drugs have changed little over time, including these countries' drug policies, in other countries there have been significant shifts in these patterns and policies. For example, some countries have seen a considerable decline in tobacco use while others have not observed noticeable changes in decades. The production, trafficking, and use of cannabis, opium, and amphetamines-type stimulants appear to be increasing in some countries while remaining steady in others. In terms of drug policies, there have been a number of recent changes in many places around the world. For example, in Uruguay and in some states and cities in the United States, newly passed laws allow for the production, transportation, selling, storing, and consumption of marijuana, albeit with considerable differences across cities, states and countries. Another example is what is referred to as the "Zero Tolerance" Law passed in Chile in 2012, penalizing drivers whose breathalyzer test show a blood-alcohol level of 0.30 or higher. The intention of this law is to decrease the number of alcohol-related traffic accidents and fatalities.

This Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive description and analysis of recent worldwide trends in the following two areas: (1) The epidemiology of substance use / drug abuse worldwide with a special focus on specific and nascent drug trends by population groups (e.g., males vs. females, members of racial and ethnic minority groups, socioeconomic status); and (2) Advances in prevention and treatment innovations to reduce and eliminate the consequences of substance use. Substances considered can include licit (e.g., tobacco, alcohol) and illicit drugs, as well as those that are used for non-medical purposes. Studies that address the above topics within the context of a specific country's drug policies concerning production, transportation, storing, selling, and consumption, as well as those that use novel methodological approaches using quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods to studying substance use are particularly welcomed. This Special Issue provides a unique opportunity for a worldwide discussion of between- and within-country comparisons of drug use trends and interventions, contextualized within the perspective of the country's specific drug policies for the particular substance discussed.

Dr. Jorge Delva
Dr. Shijian Li
Guest Editors

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