News
26 March 2026
SOLID Small Research Projects 2026 – Call for Proposals
SOLID
The SOLID project invites applications for small research projects in 2026. The initiative brings together researchers and practitioners working on drug use and related social and health issues in Central Asia and China.
6 March 2026
New Drug Trends: Insights from Focus Group Discussions. Civil Society Monitoring of Harm Reduction in Europe 2025
European Harm Reduction Network
Understanding substance use trends is vital to quickly respond to and reduce associated risks. This study contributes to such knowledge by qualitatively exploring drug use trends across 20 European cities between July 2024 and July 2025. It uses focus group discussions conducted with key informants who are directly or indirectly engaged
in the dynamics of local drug markets, including people who use drugs. This approach permits the identification of emerging developments that may not yet appear in quantitative datasets, while providing rapid insights into changes in local drug
landscapes.
26 February 2026
Strengthening Prevention Through Quality Standards: The Example of the European Drug Prevention Quality Standards (EDPQS)
SOLID
ISSUP Global presents a webinar on improving prevention practice through the European Drug Prevention Quality Standards (EDPQS).
26 February 2026
First SOLID Talk in 2026: Guzalkhon Zakhidova Presents Research on New Psychoactive Substances in Uzbekistan
SOLID
On 24 February 2026, the first SOLID Talk of 2026 took place. Guzalkhon Zakhidova of Bukhara State Medical Institute presented her PhD research on new psychoactive substances in Uzbekistan.
3 February 2026
The Ungass Decade in Review: Gaps, Achievements and Paths for Reform
International Drug Policy Consortium
This report examines the progress that has been made as a result of the 2016 UNGASS, to determine the role of the global drug control regime in shaping such change. To do so, it draws on UN data and reporting, research by academia, civil society and community organisations, and a civil society survey amongst IDPC members and partners.
29 January 2026
Rethinking the HIV Response
International AIDS Society
After a turbulent year for HIV and global health, 2026 opens with an urgent need to rethink the HIV response. The challenges we face demand more than incremental change. They require us to rethink how we work, rebuild what has been weakened and rise to meet a rapidly shifting global context.
29 January 2026
Call for Abstracts: International Conference "Social Work in Action: Interdisciplinary and Global-Informed Strategies for Bridging and Advancing Sustainable Development in Central Asia"
SOLID
We are excited to announce the upcoming International Conference on “Social Work in Action: Interdisciplinary and Global-Informed Strategies for Bridging and Advancing Sustainable Development in Central Asia”, and we cordially invite you to submit your abstract of papers!
1 January 2026
Guest Editorial – Advancing Reduction of Drug Use as an Endpoint in Addiction Treatment Trials
Nora D. Volkow, Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse
For many people trying to recover from a substance use disorder, perhaps for the majority, abstinence may be the most appropriate treatment objective. But complete abstinence is sometimes not achievable, even in the long-term, and there is a need for new treatment approaches that recognize the clinical value of reduced use.
18 November 2025
SOLID Researchers Mariya Prilutskaya and Guzalkhon Present at the XI International Conference on Novel Psychoactive Substances in Nice, France
SOLID
At the XI International Conference on Novel Psychoactive Substances (Nice, France, 3–4 November 2025), Dr. Mariya Prilutskaya (Kazakhstan) and Dr. Guzalkhon Zakhidova (Uzbekistan) represented Central Asia in high-level discussions on emerging synthetic drugs.
18 November 2025
Report from the Congress of the German Society for Addiction Medicine 2025
Dr. Ingo Ilja Michels
From 06.-08. In November 2025, the German Society for Addiction Medicine (DGS) invited people to the 34th annual congress in Leipzig for 3 packed days full of seminars, workshops and exchanges for practice, clinics, addiction help and research.