International Journal of Drug Policy
Volume 21, Issue 3 , Pages 155-159 , May 2010

Missing targets on drugs-related deaths, and a Scottish paradox

  • Sheila M. Bird

      Affiliations

    • MRC Biostatistics Unit, Medical Research Council, Robinson Way, Cambridge, England G1 1XH, United Kingdom
    • Department of Mathematics and Statistics at University of Strathclyde, United Kingdom.
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Tel.: +44 1223 330368; fax: +44 1223 330388.
    • ,
  • Sharon J. Hutchinson

      Affiliations

    • Health Protection Scotland, Glasgow G3 7LN, United Kingdom
    • Department of Mathematics and Statistics at University of Strathclyde, United Kingdom.
    • ,
  • Gordon Hay

      Affiliations

    • Centre for Drug Misuse Research, Glasgow G11 6PW, United Kingdom
    • ,
  • Ruth King

      Affiliations

    • School of Mathematics and Statistics, St Andrews KY16 9LZ, United Kingdom

Received 1 July 2009 ,Revised 29 September 2009 ,Accepted 4 October 2009.

References 

  1. Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (chairman: Professor Sir Michael Rawlins). (2000). Reducing drug related deaths. London: Home Office.
  2. Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (chairman: Professor Sir Michael Rawlins). (2008). Cannabis: Classification and public health. London: Home Office.
  3. Bargagli AM, Hickman M, Davoli M, Perucci CA, Schifano P, Buster M, et al. Drug-related mortality and its impact on adult mortality in eight European countries. European Journal of Public Health. 2006;16(2):198–202
  4. Bird, S. M., Cox, D. R., Farewell, V. T., Goldstein, H., Holt, T., & Smith, P. C. (2005). Performance indicators: Good, bad, and ugly. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A (Statistics in Society), 168(1), 1–27. Also available at www.rss.org.uk/PDF/PerformanceMonitoring/pdf, as the report of RSS's Working Party on Performance Monitoring in the Public Services, accessed 12 June 2009.
  5. Bird SM, Hutchinson SJ, Goldberg DJ. Drug-related deaths by region, gender and age-group per 100 injectors: Scotland, 2000–2001. Lancet. 2003;362:941–944
  6. De Angelis D, Hickman M, Yang S. Estimating long-term trends in the incidence and prevalence of opiate use/injecting drug use and the number of former users: Back-calculation methods and opiate overdose deaths. American Journal of Epidemiology. 2004;160(10):994–1004
  7. Hay, G., Gannon, M., McKeganey, N., Hutchinson, S., & Goldberg, D. (2005). Estimating the National and Local Prevalence of Problem Drug Misuse in Scotland. University of Glasgow Centre for Drug Misuse Research and Health Protection Scotland (see http://www.drugmisuse.isdscotland.org/publications/local/prevreport2004.pdf, accessed on 12 June 2009).
  8. Hay, G., McKeganey, N., & Hutchinson, S. (2001). Estimating the National and Local Prevalence of Problem Drug Use in Scotland. Edinburgh: Information Statistics Division (see http://www.drugmisuse.isdscotland.org/publications/abstracts/prevalence.htm, accessed on 12 June 2009).
  9. Health Protection Agency Centre for Infections. (2005). Hepatitis C in England: The First Health protection Agency Annual Report 2005. London: Health Protection Agency Centre for Infections.
  10. HM Government. (2007). Drugs: Our Community, Your Say. A consultation paper. London: HM Government, July 2007.
  11. HM Government. (2008). Drugs: Protecting Families and Communities – 2008–18 Strategy. London: HM Government, February 2008 (http://drugs.homeoffice.gov.uk/publication-search/drug-strategy/drug-strategy-2008-2018?view=Binary; accessed April 1, 2008).
  12. Hutchinson SJ, Bird SM, Goldberg DJ. Modelling the current and future disease burden of Hepatitis C among injecting drug users in Scotland. Hepatology. 2005;42:711–723
  13. Hutchinson SJ, Bird SM, Taylor A, Goldberg DJ. Estimating the prevalence, incidence and cessation of injecting drug use in Glasgow 1996–2000: Combining expert opinion with capture–recapture prevalence data. International Journal of Drug Policy. 2006;17:29–34
  14. King R, Bird SM, Brooks SP, Hutchinson SJ, Hay G. Prior information in behavioural capture–recapture methods: Demographic influences on drug injectors’ propensity to be listed in data sources and their drugs-related mortality. American Journal of Epidemiology. 2005;162:1–10
  15. King, R., Bird, S. M., Hay, G., & Hutchinson, S. J. (2008). Estimating current injectors in Scotland and their drug-related death rate by sex, region and age-group via Bayesian capture–recapture methods. Statistical Methods in Medical Research. OnlineFirst, published on 26 November 2008 as doi:10.1177/0962280208094701.
  16. Information Services Division. (2006). Drug Misuse Statistics Scotland, 2006 (see http://www.drugmisuse.isdscotland.org/publications/06dmss/06dmssb.htm, accessed 12 June 2009).
  17. Information Services Division. (2008). Drug Misuse Statistics Scotland, 2008 (http://www.drugmisuse.isdscotland.org/publications/08dmss/08dmss.pdf, page 128, accessed on 12 June 2009).
  18. Morgan O, Griffiths C, Toson B, Rooney C, Majeed A, Hickman M. Trends in deaths related to drug misuse in England and Wales 1993–2004. Health Statistics Quarterly. 2006;31:23–27
  19. Morgan O, Vicente J, Griffiths P, Hickman M. Trends in overdose deaths from drug misuse in Europe: What do the data tell us?. Addiction. 2008;103:699–700
  20. National Forum on Drug-related Deaths in Scotland Annual Report 2007. (2007). See http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/12/17095935/2; accessed 7 April 2008.
  21. Report . Deaths related to drug poisoning: England and Wales, 1993–2005. Health Statistics Quarterly. 2007;33:82–88
  22. Report . Deaths related to drug poisoning in England and Wales, 2003–07. Health Statistics Quarterly. 2008;39:82–88
  23. Scottish Government News Release. (2005). Fall in heroin and valium misuse. See http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2005/01/18100740, accessed 12 June 2009.
  24. Surveys, Design and Statistics Subcommittee (chair: Professor Sheila M. Bird) of Home Office's Scientific Advisory Committee. (2008). 21st Century Drugs and Statistical Science in the UK. London: Home Office: December 2008 (see http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/science-advisory-committee/21st-century-drugs-stats?view=Binary, accessed on 11 June 2009).
  25. The Scottish Government. (2008a). The Road to Recovery: A New Approach to Tackling Scotland's Drug Problem. Edinburgh: Scottish Government (http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/05/22161610/1to/10, accessed on 29 May 2008).
  26. The Scottish Government. (2008b). The National Forum on Drug-related Deaths: Annual Report 2007 – The Scottish Government's Response. Edinburgh: Scottish Government. See http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/05/27154627/2, accessed on 30 May 2008.
  27. Zador, D., Kidd, B., Hutchinson, S., Taylor, A., Hickman, M., Fahey, T., et al. (2005). National Investigation into Drug Related Deaths in Scotland, 2003. Scottish Government, ISBN 0755926668, 8 August 2005, see http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/08/03161745/17507.

PII: S0955-3959(09)00127-3

doi: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2009.10.001

International Journal of Drug Policy
Volume 21, Issue 3 , Pages 155-159 , May 2010

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