Authors: Susanne Uusitalo (University of Turku), Mikko Salmela (University of Helsinki) and Janne Nikkinen (University of Helsinki)

Susanne Uusitalo, Mikko Salmela and Janne Nikkinen provide a philosophical critique of the disease concept addiction and its influential rival, the rational choice model. Instead they propose what they call an ‘affective choice model’ as an alternative to both.

Authors: Tim Lang and Geof Rayner

The authors of this article outline five models and traditions, and argue that public health thinking requires an overhaul, and that ecological public health — which integrates the material, biological, social, and cultural aspects of public health — is the way forward for the 21st century.

Author: Alex Wodak

The need for reform of drug laws is now growing in many countries, but change is slow because bad policy is still good politics. Thus, many political systems are unable to move forward with reform of drug laws, and change seems most likely to happen through pressure
from civil society.

Authors: Seethalakshmi Ramanathan (State University of New York Upstate Medical University), Natarajan Balasubramanian (Syracuse University) and Rajeev Krishnadas (University of Glasgow).

The current economic crisis has received a lot of attention from policy makers. However, the traditional focus of the attention has been on short-term effects, such as housing and unemployment. The long-term influences of such crises, particularly on infants and young children, have generally not been examined. This study investigates the relationship between exposure to macroeconomic crises during infancy and long-term behavioral problems, including substance use and delinquency.

Authors: EMCDDA and EUROPOL

The EU drug markets report is the first comprehensive overview of illicit drug markets in the European Union. It covers issues such as production, consumer markets, trafficking, organised crime and policy responses, along with a review of the markets for heroin, cocaine, cannabis, amphetamine, methamphetamine, ecstasy and new psychoactive substances. It concludes with concrete action points for the areas where the current EU response to the drug market and its consequent harms may be improved.

An essential reference tool for law enforcement professionals, policymakers, the academic community and the general public, the report combines Europol’s strategic and operational understanding of trends and developments in organised crime with the EMCDDA’s ongoing monitoring and analysis of the drug phenomenon in Europe and beyond.