Guidance

A summary of the health harms of drugs

This essential guide for drug and treatment professionals provides the most up to date scientific evidence on the health harms arising from drug misuse.

Documents

Download A summary of the health harms of drugs

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Download Technical document - A summary of the health harms of drugs

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Details

This essential guide for drug and treatment professionals provides the most up to date scientific evidence on the health harms arising from licit and illicit substance misuse. This publication updates the 2003 “Dangerousness of Drugs” guide and outlines acute chronic problems associated with each substance. The updated guide considers new drugs since the last guide was published, such as novel synthetic drugs and takes a more in-depth look at the potential harms of using more than one drug and the adulterants commonly added to illegal drugs.

“A summary of the health harms of drugs” has been published on both the Department of Health(DH) and the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse(NTA) websites. It was commissioned by the NTA on behalf of the DH, and collated by the centre for Public health at Liverpool John Moores University and has been independently peer reviewed by a range of UK-based and international experts on each licit and illicit drug.

Updates to this page

Published 25 August 2011

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