Alcohol
- Responding to Substance Use (Including Vapes and Other Nicotine Products) in Schools – Scottish Government’s 2026 response to substance use in schools.
- Preventing Harm, Promoting Recovery: Scotland’s Alcohol & Drugs Strategic Plan 2026-2035 – sets out the Scottish Governments direction for addressing alcohol and drug related harms in Scotland through a public health, evidence-based approach. The Plan is grounded in a commitment to a human rights-based approach, ensuring that everyone affected by alcohol and drugs is treated with dignity, respect and compassion, in line with the Charter of Rights for People Affected by Substance Use.
- Rights, Respect and Recovery – 2018. The Scottish Government 2018 Alcohol and Drugs Strategy.
- Scottish Government Alcohol Framework 2018: Preventing Harm – 2018. A framework which sets out the Scottish Government’s national prevention aims on alcohol.
- European Union Drugs Agency European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs – 2024. Key findings from the survey.
- Alcohol and Drug Partnerships: Delivery Framework – 2019. Framework for local partnerships between health boards, local authorities, police and voluntary agencies working to reduce the use of and harms from alcohol and drugs.
- Count 14 – 2019. In 2019 Count 14 campaign was launched to raise awareness of the UK Chief Medical Officers’ Low Risk Drinking Guidelines, and what 14 units mean in terms of specific alcoholic drinks.
- Alcohol Brief Interventions National Guidance 2019-2020 – 2019. The guidance outlines what should be considered to ensure appropriate planning and delivery of ABIs and the related reporting requirements for NHS Boards and their Alcohol and Drug Partnership (ADP) partners.
- WHO: Global Status Report On Alcohol and Health – 2018. World Health Organisation report which presents a comprehensive picture of alcohol consumption and the disease burden attributable to alcohol worldwide.
- Getting Our Priorities Right: Good Practice Guidance – 2013. Good practice guidance for all agencies and practitioners working with children, young people and families affected by problem alcohol and/or drug use. This includes sections on information sharing, multi-agency working and strategic leadership.
- Monitoring and Evaluating Scotland’s Alcohol Strategy programme – 2011 to present. NHS Scotland set up the Monitoring and Evaluating Scotland’s Alcohol Strategy (MESAS) programme to evaluate Scotland’s alcohol strategy. Annual monitoring reports present data on alcohol sales, alcohol price, self-reported consumption, alcohol-specific deaths, alcohol-related hospitalisations and social harms.
- Alcohol (Scotland) Act – 2010. The act made provision to regulate the sale of alcohol and licensing of premises on which alcohol is sold.
- Supporting the Development of Scotland’s Alcohol and Drug Workforce – 2010. A Scottish Government and COSLA statement which outlines the important roles and contributions of those directly involved in workforce development. It outlines learning priorities for all levels of the alcohol and drug workforce.
- Charter of Rights for people affected by substance use. The Charter of Rights aims to help people to know what their rights are, and know what support they can expect to receive from services.
Drugs
- Responding to Substance Use (Including Vapes and Other Nicotine Products) in Schools – Scottish Government’s 2026 response to substance use in schools.
- Preventing Harm, Promoting Recovery: Scotland’s Alcohol & Drugs Strategic Plan 2026-2035 – sets out the Scottish Governments direction for addressing alcohol and drug related harms in Scotland through a public health, evidence-based approach. The Plan is grounded in a commitment to a human rights-based approach, ensuring that everyone affected by alcohol and drugs is treated with dignity, respect and compassion, in line with the Charter of Rights for People Affected by Substance Use.
- Rights, Respect and Recovery – 2018. The Scottish Government 2018 Alcohol and Drugs Strategy.
- A Whole-system Response to Drug Prevention in the UK – 2025. An independent report published 28 May 2025 by the UK Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs on the long-term prevention of drug use and related harms among young people.
- Scottish Drug Related Deaths Reports for 2023
- National Mission – Drug Deaths Plan 2022-2026 – 2022. The aim of the National Mission is to reduce drug deaths and improve the lives of those impacted by drugs. This document shows how this will be done.
- The Lancet Public Health – Premature Mortality in People Affected by Co-Occurring Homelessness, Justice Involvement, Opioid Dependency and Psychosis – September 2022. A retrospective cohort study using linked administrative data.
- Changing Lives: Our Final Report – July 2022. From the Scottish Drug Deaths Taskforce.
- “Taking Away the Chaos” – the health needs of people who inject drugs in public places in Glasgow City Centre.
- Alcohol and Drug Partnerships: Delivery Framework – 2019. Framework for local partnerships between health boards, local authorities, police and voluntary agencies working to reduce the use of and harms from alcohol and drugs.
- Why Are Drug-Related Deaths Among Women Increasing in Scotland? – 2018.
- Rights, Respect and Recovery – 2018. Scotland’s strategy to improve health by preventing and reducing alcohol and drug use, harm and related deaths.
- Psychoactive Substances Act – 2016. The act makes it an offence to produce, supply, offer to supply, possess with intent to supply, possess on custodial premises, import or export psychoactive substances.
- ‘What Works’ in Drug Education and Prevention – 2016. The Scottish Government published a literature review on ‘what works’ in substance use education and prevention, including schools-based approaches and prevention beyond schools.
- Getting Our Priorities Right: Good Practice Guidance – 2013. Good practice guidance for all agencies and practitioners working with children, young people and families affected by problem alcohol and/or drug use. This includes sections on information sharing, multi-agency working and strategic leadership.
- Home – Harm Reduction International – Harm Reduction International(HRI) use data and advocacy to promote harm reduction and drug policy reform. Rights-based, evidence-informed responses to drugs contribute to healthier, safer societies.
- EUDA home page | www.euda.europa.eu. – The European Union Drug Agency (EUDA) mission focuses on contributing to EU preparedness on drugs through four main actions: anticipate, alert, respond and EUDA. The EUDA is a source of drug-related expertise in Europe sharing independent, scientifically validated knowledge, alerts and recommendations.
- Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) standards: access, choice, support – gov.scot – Evidence based standards to enable the consistent delivery of safe, accessible, high-quality drug treatment across Scotland. These are relevant to people and families accessing or in need of services, and health and social care staff responsible for delivery of recovery oriented systems of care.
- Needle Exchange Surveillance Initiative (NESI) August 2024
- Medicated Assisted Treatment (MAT) standards. Evidence based standards to enable the consistent delivery of safe, accessible, high-quality drug treatment across Scotland.
- Charter of Rights for people affected by substance use. The Charter of Rights aims to help people to know what their rights are, and know what support they can expect to receive from services.
- Misuse of Drugs Act – 1971. The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 is a UK law that regulates the production, supply, possession and use of controlled drugs.
- Standards for young people accessing treatment or support for Alcohol and Drugs. These Standards aim to give every young person access to reliable, high-quality treatment and support as soon as they begin to face challenges—not just when things reach a crisis point.
Public Health Scotland
- Interventions to reduce harms from cocaine – 2025. A scoping review of interventions aimed at reducing harms associated with cocaine use in Scotland: The conclusions from the report are intended to inform policy and practice developments, support service managers and third sector organisations prioritise interventions in reducing cocaine harm.
- Scotland’s Public Health Priorities – gov.scot (www.gov.scot) – 2018. The Scottish Government and COSLA agreed six Public Health Priorities in June 2018.
Other
- Prisoners in Scotland face mental health and substance use crisis after release, research reveals | About | University of Stirling – People released from prison in Scotland are facing a mental health and substance use crisis, according to a first-of-its-kind study. The University of Stirling-led research, tracking more than 8,000 prisoners over four years, shines a spotlight for the first time on their unmet needs on release from prison.
- SRC Policy Scoping Review McFall and Nugent Final Version 061025. This scoping review has been undertaken to explore the policy landscape in Scotland as it relates to women in recovery.
- The Illicit Project was developed by researchers at the University of Sydney, with funding from the Centre of Research Excellence in Prevention and Early Intervention in Mental Illness & Substance Use. Clinically validated education that teaches neuroscience and harm reduction to young people.
- Co-Occurring Substance Use and Mental Heath Concerns in Scotland: A Review of the Literature and Evidence – November 2022.
- Hard Edges Report – 2019. Report highlighting the complexity of the lives of people facing multiple disadvantage in Scotland.
- National Standards for Community Engagement – 2019. Scottish Community Development Centre: The National Standards for Community Engagement are good-practice principles designed to improve and guide the process of community engagement
- Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance User Survey (SALSUS) – 2018. SALSUS is our main source of information on alcohol, drug and tobacco use among Scotland’s young people. It is vital because the survey data acts as the official measures of progress towards targets for reducing smoking and drug use, and to monitor their priority of addressing harmful drinking.
- A Connected Scotland – 2018. The Scottish Government’s first national strategy to tackle social isolation and loneliness and to build stronger social connections.
- Turning the Tide through Prevention – 2018. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s Public Health Strategy 2018-2028 which emphasises the importance of the prevention of ill health and improvement of wellbeing in order to increase the healthy life expectancy of the whole population and reduce health inequalities.
- Recovery Oriented Systems of Care (ROSC) – 2018. A co-ordinated network of community based services and supports that is person centered and builds on strengths and resilience of individuals, families and communities
- Transforming Psychological Trauma: Knowledge and Skills Framework – 2017. A framework designed to support the development of the Scottish workforce in both recognising existing skills and knowledge and also helping them and their organisations to make informed decisions about the most suitable evidence-based training to meet gaps.
- Restoring the Public Health Response to Homelessness in Scotland – 2015. A report which brings together academic evidence and service experience within Scotland to provide a route map for Public Health to engage fully in the prevention and mitigation of homelessness and its health consequences.
- Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act – 2015. The act sets out national outcomes and seeks to empower community bodies through the ownership or control of land and buildings, and by strengthening their voices in decisions about public services.
- Children and Young People (Scotland) Act – 2014. An act to make provision about the rights of children and young people; and services and support for children and young people.
- Equally Well Review – 2013. A review of the Scottish Government’s national policy on health inequalities, including what works to address health inequalities and where to focus activity.
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