August 2010 Drug-related deaths in the UK Annual Report 2010 and Executive Summary
Volatile Substance Abuse Deaths Report 23
INCB Conference Moscow
Professor Ghodse, as President of the INCB, addressed and participated in the International Forum "Drug Production in Afghanistan: A Challenge to the International Community" "Establishment of a broad-based anti-drug coalition" which was held in Moscow 9-10 June 2010
St George’s professor named president of United Nations drug control unit
13 May 2010
St George’s, University of London Professor Hamid Ghodse has been elected president of the global drug law body the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB). The INCB is an independent United Nations organisation that monitors and supports governments’ compliance with international drug control treaties. This will be Prof Ghodse’s 10th term at the helm of the INCB since his first year of presidency in 1993. In his role as president, Prof Ghodse will lead the INCB’s engagement with governments around the world, as it attempts to stem the illicit drugs trade.
Prof Ghodse, who is a professor of psychiatry and international drug policy at St George’s and also heads its International Centre for Drug Policy (ICDP), said: “I am delighted and honoured to have been elected as president again, and I hope to meet the many challenges faced by governments and the international community.
" There are major challenges on various fronts, including confronting international drug trafficking, international organised crime and money laundering".
“The INCB and I have also emphasised for many years that governments must seriously address the problem of drug abuse, heeding the adage that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Compared to the costs of law enforcement, criminal justice, and of treating and rehabilitating drug abusers, the costs of implementing measures aimed at preventing first use of drugs are minute.
Prof Ghodse hailed the Undergraduate Medical Schools Curriculum on Substance Misuse initiative, led by the ICDP, as a good example of how a government can respond to UN policies designed to stop drug abuse. This programme was set up to promote the teaching of substance misuse issues within the national medical curriculum.
He added: “Another important and complex challenge is to ensure that sufficient drugs are available for medical and scientific purposes. The World Health Organisation, together with the INCB, is addressing this with the development of the Access to Controlled Medications Programme.”
Prof Ghodse has been at St George’s since 1978, and over the years has advised governments on medical education and health policy issues. He is editor of the journal International Psychiatry, and member of the editorial board of several other periodicals on psychiatry, substance misuse and addiction. Prof Ghodse is also the author of more than 300 books and papers on drug-related issues and addiction, including Ghodse's Drugs and Addictive Behaviour: A Guide to Treatment.
The INCB was established in 1968 to implement United Nations international drug control conventions. Its work involves identifying flaws in drug control measures, and assisting governments to correct them.
Recent Publications:
February 2010 - Ghodse's Drugs and Addictive Behaviour A Guide to Treatment, 4th Edition, Cambridge University Press. A classic text this book provides a comprehensive and accessible overview of substance misuse and dependence with an emphasis on practical and evidence-based approaches to the assessment, management and prevention of a wide range of substance related problems. Discount order form
January 2010 - A research paper co authored by members of the National Programme on Substance Abuse Deaths
"Overview of Amphetamine-Type Stimulant Mortality Data -UK, 1997-2007" was published online in the journal Neuropsychobiology 61:122-130 (DOI.10.1159/000279302). The research paper shows that, although amphetamine including methylamphetamine kill more people than ecstasy, ecstasy deaths are more likely to involve young, healthy people. They are also less likely to be know as drug addicts.
August 2009 - Drug-related deaths in the UK continue to rise: Drug Related Deaths in the UK: Annual Report 2009 highlights an increase in drug related deaths, rising by 2.7 per cent from 1900 in 2007 to 1,952 in 2008. Press release and Executive Summary
July 2009-Trends in Deaths Associated with Abuse of Volatile Substances; 1971-2007 reveals that deaths from vsa in the UK rose to 58 from 51 in 2006.Report 22
International Drug Control into the 21st Century, edited by Professor Hamid Ghodse, provides a comprehensive analysis of drug misuse, dependence and the ways in which different parts of the world have responded to these problems. Aldershot, Ashgate Publishing: 2008. ISBN 978-0-7546-7215-9 further details from http://www.ashgate.com/isbn/9780754672159
RETAD - Reduction in Tobacco Addiction
The Provision of Stop Smoking Interventions in General and Psychiatric Hospital Settings - A Service Delivery Toolkit. RETAD TOOLKIT
Training Manual RETAD TRAINING MANUAL
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