An Overview of Illicit Drug Related Research in the EU Part I: Methodology and Analysis of Research

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An Overview of Illicit Drug Related Research in
the EUPart I Methodology and Analysis of
Research Activities European Commission
Conference24-25 September 2009, Brussels
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1. Background of the study1.1 The claim

• Information, research and evaluation are key
  elements of an overall EU drug policy (EU Drugs
  Strategy, 2005-2012)
• Need for better understanding of the drug problem
  and the development of an optimal response for
  demand and supply reduction
• Improving the understanding through more and
  better coordinated research (EU Council, 2008)

• To make the EU the most dynamic and competitive
  knowledge-based economy by 2010 (Lisbon
  Strategy, 2000)
• Research and development is one of the EU
  priorities to boost employment and growth and to
  maintain its social model
• Well-designed social and environmental policies
  are themselves key elements in strengthening
  Europe's economic performance (European
  Parliament, 2005)

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1. Background of the study1.2 The reality A
significant drug problem in Europe

• Drug use (DU past month)
• 12.5 million cannabis users (3.8)
• 2 million cocaine users (0.5)
• 1.5 million problem opioid users (0.4)

• Drug use related consequences
• At least 40 of IDUs are Hepatitis C infected
• 6,500 - 8,500 drug-related death
• 400,000 cases in various types of care

• Drug-related public expenditure
• EUR 34 billion
• 0.3 of combined GDP of all EU Member States (MS)

? Drug and alcohol related disorders are among
the top six diseases in Europe
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1. Background of the study1.3 The research
situation in Europe

• Fragmented and diffuse
• national responsibility for research, many
  disciplines
• Accessibility problems
• 23 languages
• Small number of EC funded projects
• Performance deficits (publications)1,3

Australia Canada Selected EU-MS 2 USA
1) Journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence,
2004-2007 2) Germany, Italy, Netherlands, UK 3)
Source Ritter, 2008
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1. Background of the study 1.4 Core questions
Will current research activities and research
structures provide the knowledge base needed for
a fully informed and evidence-based drug policy
all over Europe?

• Will current research activities and research
  structures provide the basis for leading Europe
  to the top of drug-related research in the world?

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2. Objectives

• To map and analyse the current state of research
  activities on demand and supply reduction
• To map and analyse research structures at MS
  level
• To map and analyse research structures at EU
  level
• To briefly compare with the situation in
  Australia, Canada and USA
• To identify strengths, weaknesses and gaps
• To assess options for improvements

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3. Methodology3.1 Definitions and limitations I

• Definition of research
• methodological studies in order to prove a
  hypothesis or answer a specific question (see
  also Frascati Manual, 2002)
• Use of scientifically accepted methods and
  procedures
• Indicators of research activities
• Research publications
• Quantity, topics, relevance, visibility,
  accessibility
• 2001/2 and 2005/6
• Minimum information required in English language
  title, abstract, keywords
• listed in Scopus or Medline
• Research project descriptions
• Number, topics, visibility, accessibility
• 2001 2006
• Minimum information required in English language
  title and abstract or full text

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3. Methodology3.1 Definitions and limitations II

• Indicators of research structures
• Capacity, infrastructure
• Budget, funding
• Models of priorisation and coordination
• Topics of research activities

• Basic research drug mechanisms, aetiology,
  course
• Epidemiology

Understanding drug use

• Prevention
• Treatment

Demand reduction

• Drug markets
• Law enforcement
• Control and detection of drugs

Supply reduction

• Drug policy analysis e.g., balance between
  demand and supply reduction
• Legal frameworks

Policy analysis
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3. Methodology3.2 Sources of information

• Thousands of publications, 3,000 in detail
• Appr. 260 project descriptions
• Internet search through appr. 320 websites on
  research activities and structures
• 40 interviews with key representatives from 13
  MS, EC DGs and other organisations in Europe

? Quantitative and qualitative analyses!

• Support by
• Advisory Group (11 members)
• National Focal Points
• Key experts
• EMCDDA
• Staff members of DG JLS

? Many thanks for your support!
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4. Results4.1 Distribution of projects,
publications and MS priorities
MS research priorities
Publications
Research projects
Total (N57)
Total(N2,427)
EC-funded (N34)
Total (N253)
Research Areas
8 
53
27 
13 
Basic research
Understanding drug use
30 
31 
3 
50 
Epidemiology
33 
13 
44 
30 
Demand reduction
17 
2 
27 
6 
Supply reduction
12 
0 
0 
2 
Policy analysis
? Obvious discrepancy between MS research
priorities / needs and research activities for
supply reduction and policy analysis
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4. Results4.2 Understanding drug use
Conclusions
Weaknesses and gaps
Strengths
Research fields

• Strong research situation
• Further EC support because of added EU value

• Relevance of cultural, economic, legal and social
  factors
• Individual risk differences

• Aetiology (genetic, biological and
  psychological/mental factors)

Basic research

• Analytic, longitudinal studies

• Good level of descriptive research
• EC funding needed only for defined deficit areas

• Research on specific risk groups, e.g. iv. and
  poly drug users, groups in prison, in early
  stages of drug use
• Analytic studies on MS differences

• European networks for (descriptive) population
  surveys

Epidemiology
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4. Results4.3 Demand reduction
Conclusions
Weaknesses and gaps
Strengths
Research fields

• Need for research on
• Selective and indicated prevention
• Relevance of individual vs. structural measures
• Effects of MS differences on outcome

• Hardly any projects and publications
• Research on selective and indicated prevention
• Balance of individual and structural prevention
• Prevention of infectious diseases and
  drug-related death

• Large number of universal prevention programmes

Prevention

• Need for support of specific areas
• Multisite treatment studies
• Change-related factors
• Harm reduction as integrated part of treatment
  options

• Early detection and (brief) interventions outside
  specialist services
• Treatment of cocaine, amphetamine and poly drug
  use
• Outcome of harm reduction
• Treatment of co-morbidity
• Research on factors of formal or informal induced
  change

• Research on a large variety of treatment
  interventions

Treatment including harm reduction
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4. Results4.4 Supply reduction
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4. Results4.5 Policy analysis
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4. Results4.6 Distribution of research
activities between MS

• Unbalanced distribution of research activities
  between MS (especially new MS)

• Rare and unbalanced utilisation of EU funding
  programmes by MS (especially new MS)

• Strong national research orientation
• Few cross-border research activities by MS
• Few European research societies with overall low
  impact

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4. Results4.7 Access to information on European
research activities

• Visibility of and accessibility to information on
  European research projects and publications are a
  precondition for (a) evidence based drug policy
  and (b) inter-national recognition and leadership.

Conclusions
Weaknesses
Strengths

• Need for better accessibility and visibility of
  EU research

• Limited access to information because of 23
  languages

Language barriers

• Need for better coverage of European, especially
  non-English language journals by international
  databases

• Low coverage of European journals in
  international databases

• English titles and abstracts are available to a
  large degree

Access to research publications

• Need for better access to and systematic search
  in project descriptions

• Lack of (accessible) project descriptions
• Lack of English language information in
  non-English project descriptions

Access to research projects
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5 Options for future research priorities5.1
Understanding drug use
EC
MS

• Risk differences for SU and SUD between MS,
  covering also cultural, legal and social
  specifities

• Individual risk differences for onset, course and
  cessation of drug use
• Relevance of environmental factors in
  aetiological processes

Basic research

• MS differences in the epidemiological situation

• Specific risk groups
• Early stages of SU and SUD

Epidemiology
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5 Options for future research priorities5.2
Demand reduction
EC
MS

• Relevance of social, cultural, and legal
  differences between MS for prevention

• Early risk identification patterns
• Selective and targeted prevention

Prevention

• Relevance of cultural, social, and legal
  differences and treatment system differences
  between MS

• Mechanisms of change
• Relevance of non-specific treatment factors
• Outcome of harm reduction

Treatment
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5 Options for future research priorities5.3
Supply reduction and policy analysis
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5 Options for future research priorities5.4
Access to information on European research
activities
EU
MS

• To support better coverage of European (national
  language) journals in international databases

• Requirement in funding programmes to publish in
  peer-reviewed journals
• At least English language titles, abstracts and
  keywords

Publications

• To improve access and utilisation of EC project
  databases
• To develop a European project database

• Requirement to deliver project descriptions with
  English language titles, abstracts and keywords

Projects
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6. Conclusions for part I

• The study identified specific strengths and
  weaknesses of research activities on illicit
  drugs in Europe as well as options for future
  research topics on MS and EU level

• The study also revealed that
• Research activities have a strong national
  orientation
• Research activities are not coordinated between
  MS and between MS and EC
• Visibility of and access to information on
  research projects and publications is limited

? The present state of research activities in
Europe constitutes a major obstacle for a
European research and evidence based drug policy
and international leadership
Research activity deficits are linked to research
structures in Europe ? See next presentation