(Development of Substitution Treatment Policy, Northern Ireland)
"1.3 The Substitute Prescribing Implementation Group was created by the DHSSPS and in February 2004 ‘Northern Ireland Guidelines on Substitution Treatment for Opiate Dependence’ were published. The new guidelines, including the arrangements for the monitoring and evaluation of Substitute Prescribing, were introduced on 1 April 2004.

(Substitution Treatment, Northern Ireland) "On 31 March 2010:
"• 466 individuals were receiving substitute medication. This is compared to 429 individuals on 31 March 2009, an increase of 9%.
"• 457 of those individuals had been stabilised. Just over half (52%) of clients were stabilised on methadone, and a further 47% were stabilised on buprenorphine.
"• 423 of those individuals had been stabilised and had been subject to at least one review.

(Treatment Availability and Use, Northern Ireland) "During 2009/10:
"• A total of 576 individuals were in contact with Substitute Prescribing treatment services, compared to 550 in 2008/09.
"• 89 individuals discontinued from the scheme – the main reasons given were ‘failed to present for Substitute Prescribing’, ‘managed discontinuation of Substitute Prescribing’ and ‘unmanaged discontinuation of Substitute Prescribing’."

(Northern Ireland Needle and Syringe Exchange Scheme Activity) "In Northern Ireland during 2009/10:
"• There were 15,828 visits to participating services by users of the scheme. This is an increase of 18% (2,439 visits) on the 2008/09 figure (13,389 visits).
"• A cin bin is a sealed container which is used to safely dispose of used needles and syringes: 51% of cin bins issued to users of the scheme were returned in 2009/10 compared to 53% returned in 2008/09.

(Needle and Syringe Exchange Policy, Northern Ireland)
"1.2 In 2000 funding was made available to develop a free needle and syringe exchange scheme in community pharmacies in Northern Ireland. With input from community pharmacists and other expert advisors, and taking account of models of best practice developed elsewhere, the Northern Ireland Needle and Syringe Exchange Scheme (NSES) was introduced in April 2001.

(Prevalence of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Use Among Youth, England) "The survey sample represents an estimated population of around 3.0 million young people aged between 11 and 15 in England. Findings from this survey indicate that in England in 2011 around 140,000 young people aged between 11 and 15 were regular smokers, around 360,000 drank alcohol in the last week, and around 180,000 had taken drugs (including glue, gas and other volatile substances) in the last month.

(Progress Toward Strategy Goals, Wales) "The Substance Misuse Annual Report 2010 (WAG 2010a) sets out the progress made in implementing the Welsh Assembly’s 10-year substance misuse strategy. An annex to the report sets out progress against the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).21 Data show a 12% decrease in reported serious acquisitive crime since the previous year and a 19% decrease since baseline.

Economics

(Basic UK Drug Laws) "The United Kingdom (UK) consists of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. England accounts for 84% of the UK population. A number of powers have been devolved from the United Kingdom Parliament to Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, but each has different levels of devolved responsibilities.

(National Drug Strategies for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland) "The Scottish Government and Welsh Government’s national drug strategies were published in 2008, the latter combining drugs, alcohol and addiction to prescription drugs and over-the-counter medicines. All three strategies aim to make further progress on reducing harm and each focuses on recovery.