Side events

#LxAddictions19 provided a unique networking opportunity for researchers, practitioners and policy experts across countries and disciplines, addressing new challenges and covering developing fields.

In the margins of the conference various major events took place.

Presentations are available on request.

International symposium on drug checking

The international symposium on drug checking will take place on the 22 October.

Recent changes in Europe’s cocaine and synthetic drugs markets pose a challenge for traditional drug monitoring. Data from drug checking services can provide valuable information on drug market dynamics at user level. However, drug checking as an intervention in recreational settings remains a topic of much debate in the media, among policy makers and researchers worldwide.   

The aims of this symposium are: to explore drug markets dynamics with an international comparison of cocaine and MDMA trends, purity and adulteration in producing and consuming countries through European, Colombian and Australian drug checking test results; and to discuss the challenges and opportunities of drug checking within national drug policies.

This symposium is organised by the EMCDDA in collaboration with SICAD, COPOLAD and the Trans European Drug Information (TEDI) network. The event is sold out.  

9th symposium of the Alcohol Policy Network Europe (APN)

The 9th symposium of the Alcohol Policy Network Europe (APN) will take place on 22 October. The draft agenda includes topics such as: salient alcohol policy developments in selected countries; the role of the industry in alcohol policymaking; and regulating alcohol marketing in electronic media. 

More information will soon be available at www.alcoholpolicynetwork.eu

Health Without Barriers

Health Without Barriers, the European Federation for prison health and human rights in prison, is organising its second European conference on health care in prison in Lisbon on 21 and 22 October. The conference will provide a space for discussion and exchange among health professionals working in prison in European and non-European countries. The participants will come from different disciplines, from practice to research and monitoring, from law enforcement and prison administration to peer involvement, including people with a personal experience of prison. For further information, visit www.healthwithoutbarriers.org

International Cannabis Toolkit Workshop

The International Cannabis Toolkit Workshop will take place on 22 October.

Cannabis products continue to diversify as legal medical and recreational markets expand worldwide. These products vary considerably in THC and CBD concentrations, methods of administration and across different countries. A key problem facing the field is the lack of standardised, validated measures of cannabis use (akin to standard alcohol units). This severely limits our ability to synthesise findings across research studies, to develop guidelines and policies for safer use, and to manage cannabis in treatment settings. This workshop aims to:

  • Identify and disseminate key challenges in measuring cannabis use from an international and multidisciplinary perspective
  • Launch the development of an International Cannabis Toolkit, a standardised, internationally relevant tool for measuring cannabis use in research and clinical settings

The workshop will include a series of expert talks followed by an interactive discussion. The event is sold out. Further information is available at https://canntoolkit.com/.

This workshop is funded by the Society for the Study of Addiction, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction and the Portuguese General Directorate for Intervention on Addictive Behaviours and Dependencies (SICAD).