Author: Lacey J.

One of the main thrusts of contemporary alcohol misuse policies is that early intervention can make a real difference to patterns of problem drinking, as long as healthcare professionals are given the right skills. However, healthcare professionals themselves suggest that they are often unsure of how to raise issues, and feel that they lack the skills or knowledge to do this effectively. This study investigates the perceptions and training needs of health visitors, school nurses, nursery nurses and practice nurses in relation to alcohol misuse primary prevention and the delivery of brief interventions in their day-to-day work.

Authors: Ari Rosmarin and Niamh Eastwood (Release)

'A Quiet Revolution: Drug Decriminalisation Policies in Practice Across the Globe' is the first report to support Release's campaign 'Drugs - It’s Time for Better Laws'. This report looks at over 20 countries that have adopted some form of decriminalisation of drug possession, including some States that have only decriminalised cannabis possession. The main aim of the report was to look at the existing research to establish whether the adoption of a decriminalised policy led to significant increases in drug use - the simple answer is that it did not.

More information about the campaign can be accessed at:
www.release.org.uk/decriminalisation