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Published on: February 5, 2018
Assessing the validity of recent estimates of problematic drug use in England
1Department of Medicines Management, Keele University, Staffordshire ST5 5BG, UK. m.frisher@keele.ac.uk
Background:
The Home Office has recently published estimates which, for the first time, provide a "robust national estimate" of the number of problematic drug users in England. The 2004/05 and 2005/06 estimates are the highest estimates ever produced for England and coincide with the highest ever government annual expenditure on combating illicit drug use.
Methods And Results:
Review of a range of data sources that indicate a downward trend in problematic drug use in recent years.
Conclusions:
The validity of the estimates is important for drug policy, and the paper considers the implications of both increasing and decreasing levels of problematic drug use.
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