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Overview of EMCDDA’s Scientific Work

Overview of EMCDDA’s Scientific Work. Paul Griffiths, Roland Simon – Scientific committee Meeting, February 2008. Objective of this presentation.

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Overview of EMCDDA’s Scientific Work

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  1. Overview of EMCDDA’s Scientific Work Paul Griffiths, Roland Simon – Scientific committee Meeting, February 2008

  2. Objective of this presentation • Provide you with a overview of the scientific work at the EMCDDA so that we share a common understanding of how we have got to this particular point in our development, and why our current work programme looks like it does • Apologies to those who know us well already…

  3. More concretely • Historical, structural & external factors that shape our work • Organisation & working practices • Overview of current areas of work • Show how these are manifest in the current 3 year and 2008 Work programmes • Overview a few of the forthcoming outputs that may be of interest

  4. First… a few things to remember that are obvious but easy to forget… • We work at the European level • We are not a research institute • We work at the interface between policy, practice, and science which can be a difficult place to be! • As an information centre our credibility is dependent on produce independent, methodologically sound and scientifically rigorous analysis • Scientific Committee is likely to play an increasingly important role in ensuring this

  5. Historical, structural & external factors shaping our work – the context

  6. Historical • Information collection ongoing for around 12 years during this period emphasis has been on capacity building, instrument development and standardisation • Developed based at first on existing areas of work & reflected concerns of the day • Move from externalised to internalised activities • Move from epidemiology to interventions • Move from demand to supply

  7. Structural & external factors • Founding regulation basis for work • Commitment to annual reporting • Recast to regulation in 2007 gave more emphasis • New trends • Identification and dissemination of best practice • Poly-drug use including combined use licit & illicit substances • Supply information has always been collected but need to scale-up activities • EU – drug strategy and action plan(s) have become increasingly important • EU Enlargement remains an important factor

  8. EMCDDA’s contribution to current Action Plan (2005-2008) • Ongoing work of EMCDDA informs assessment drug situation • Drafting of thematic papers (coordination, drug demand reduction and information/research/evaluation) • Preparation of a snapshot on the drug situation in the EU 2004-2008 • Helped to define the assessment tools/indicators for the Action Plan

  9. Challenges of working in a growing family • Currently reporting • All EU member states • Norway by special arrangement • Candidate countries - Croatia & Turkey • The Russian Federation and Ukraine have growing interest in EMCDDA work • The needs of countries and reporting ability varies considerably • Quality control and the analysis of data can raise political as well as scientific issues

  10. Organisation of the work

  11. In-house structure Scientific Coordination

  12. In-house structure Scientific Coordination

  13. In-house structure Scientific Coordination

  14. Resources - scientific staff – EPI / RES • Two Head of Units • 24 Scientific analysts coming from sociology, psychology, medicine, law, economics, biology … • 6 Data managers / project assistance • 4 Secretaries • Occasional stagiaires etc...

  15. Data Collection • Annual reporting exercise • Main data provider is the network of national focal points (Reitox) • Common methods and reporting tools (in online interface) • National reports (contextual & text based) • Standard tables (quantitative data – reporting cycle annual) • Structured questionnaires (more qualitative / reporting cycle more flexible) • Supported by standing technical working groups, ad hoc meetings and studies

  16. The Units • EPI • RES

  17. Drug situation Patterns and scale of use Public health impact Crime and Interdiction statistics Drug Market information Price Purity Identification new trends & threats Policies developments Legal developments Responses Prevention Treatment Harm reduction Supply reduction Interdiction practice Economic modelling Current areas of interest

  18. Challenges • More heterogeneous drug situation • Improved classification of drug use patterns • More integrated approach to treatment • Integration of supply and demand data • Improving the timeliness of our data

  19. Monitoring tools - Epidemiology • 5 key indicators (politically endorsed in EUAP) • Prevalence & patterns of drug use • Prevalence & patterns of problem drug use • Drug-related infectious diseases (HIV, HCV, HBV) • Drug-related deaths and mortality of drug users • Demand for drug treatment • Core data • Drug law offences and market information • Youth prevalence and patterns of drug use + ESPAD • Joint Action on New Synthetic Drugs EWS

  20. LMP of cannabis among 15-64, 15-34, 15-24

  21. Estimated number of new clients entering treatment by primary drug used

  22. Indexed trends in reports for drug law offences in EU MS 2000-2005

  23. Monitoring tools – Strategies, laws and responses • Support for EU strategy and Action plan on drugs and cooperation at the European level • Monitoring laws, policies and strategies • Relevant to transversal analyse: cost studies, policy evaluation… • Responses • Prevention • Treatment • Harm Reduction • Identification and dissemination of best practice

  24. Year of introduction of MMT and HDB treatment in 26 EU MS and Norway

  25. Estimated number of clients receiving opioid substitution treatment in EU-15, 1993-2005 45% of problem opiate user in EU

  26. EMCDDA – best practices - the portal • The EMCDDA is developing a best practices portal • will provide an overview on the latest evidence on the effectiveness of interventions (prevention, treatment, social reintegration, harm reduction) • present tools and standards aimed at improving the quality of interventions • highlight best-practice examples from the field • Primarily aimed at professionals, policy-makers and researchers • Collaboration: Cochrane, SANCO, UNODC

  27. The Work Programme

  28. Triennial and annual work plans • Three year work-plan and strategy (2006-2009) is implemented through three annual work plans • The Scientific Committee provides the MB with an opinion on triennial and annual work- plans

  29. Consolidate monitoring and reporting activities Enhancing analysis of data Communicate effectively with target audiences rationalisation and review reporting tools focus given to core reporting areas Improved tools (Fonte) More emphasis on technical assistance quality control & standards The 3 Year Work programme - priorities

  30. Consolidate monitoring and reporting activities Enhancing analysis of data Communicate effectively with target audiences Moving beyond simple description Better exploitation of historical data More transversal analysis Better integration with scientific literature and research The 3 Year Work programme - priorities

  31. Consolidate monitoring and reporting activities Enhancing analysis of data Communicate effectively with target audiences New communications strategy Better demarcation of products More output focussed More emphasis given to scientific publishing The 3 Year Work programme - priorities

  32. 2008 Work Programme Breaks down the 3-year programme into annual activities and products, e.g. • Analysis of trends: long- and medium-term trends in drug use in Europe (evaluation of the EUAP, UNGASS evaluation) • Increase emphasis on best practice and analysis of the extent to which European responses meet estimated needs • Developing a strategy for supply • Treatment and poly-drugs use working group

  33. 2008 Work Programme EMCDDA Scientific Monograph • Release of the Cannabis monograph • Preparatory work on Harm reduction Monograph EMCDDA Manuals • Update of KI protocols: TDI, DRD Drug profiles • Benzodiazepines, Piperazines…. EMCDDA Insights • Assessing illicit drug use in wastewater Drugs in focus – policy briefings • Drug use and old age – a new problem • Cocaine and heroin trafficking in Europe…

  34. In summary The 3 year WP and 2008 WP are intended to meet the needs: • To consolidate and rationalise the data collection process • To use and analyse the information collected more efficiently • To improve the monitoring of new developments • To continue developing new areas: • supply issues • economic analysis • best practices • cross indicator analysis, etc... • To better tailor EMCDDA products to different audiences • To further improve collaboration with scientific community • To continue and reinforce international and technical cooperation

  35. Concluding remarks What we would like to get from this ScC …

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