Consumption trends and policies under scrutinisation

This issue of NAD includes new research on consumption trends, harm and policies. It begins with a study on the most significant Nordic alcohol consumption change in recent times. Nordic adolescents drink significantly less alcohol than previous generations. But have the acute alcohol-related consequences among adolescents in the Nordic countries declined in concert with the decline in alcohol consumption? This is investigated in this issue by Ola Ekholm et al. (2024). The authors have also inspected whether it is accurate to claim that that the decline in alcohol-related consequences can be attributed to the decline in alcohol consumption.

Miia Aro et al. (2024) explore another consumption trend in their study on the decline in tobacco and nicotine product use during the COVID-19 pandemic. Previous research has yielded mixed results. The Finnish study by Aro and colleagues assesses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sales of tobacco and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products in 2020 by comparing the sales to those of the previous year. It reveals that there was, in fact, a significant rise in cigarette sales during this period. In addition, sales of NRT products were notably higher throughout 2020 compared with 2019. In particular, the sales of nicotine pouches marketed as NRT saw an increase, especially after the imposition of travel restrictions and the closure of national borders in Finland in the spring of 2020.

A study by Ditte Maria Sivertsen et al. (2024) examined the cross-sectoral collaboration between a Danish emergency department (ED) and two municipal treatment centres for patients with alcohol problems. Through qualitative interviews, they highlight a low degree of collaboration due to blurred responsibilities, communication challenges and differing focuses between acute and long-term care. Despite these issues, the role of the social nurse was highly valued in both sectors for its mediating function, though its limitations meant not all patients were adequately referred and handled within the ED setting.

A study by Kristoffer Høiland et al. (2024) investigates whether health professionals’ assessments of driving ability align with measures of alcohol use severity and cognitive functions necessary for safe driving. The results show significant differences in the severity of alcohol use disorder and visuospatial abilities between groups judged fit and unfit to drive, but no differences in reaction time or attention. The findings suggest that the criteria used by health professionals for fitness to drive evaluations may need improvement, as current evaluations may not reliably distinguish between fit and unfit drivers.

Also in this issue: Two overviews texts look into the legal framework for the production of alcohol for personal use within the European Union (Kilian et al., 2024) and how contemporary violence policies are framed in England and Wales (Lightowlers & Duke, 2024). In a commentary on North America's fentanyl death crisis by Benedikt Fischer et al. (2024), lessons for Europe are discussed. The text highlights the severe public health crisis in North America due to drug-related toxicity deaths (DTDs), primarily from synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, with a death toll comparable to COVID-19 but affecting younger populations. In contrast, Europe's DTD rates are significantly lower, with opioid-related deaths mostly linked to heroin, and without the same pattern of prescription opioid abuse seen in North America. Despite various interventions such as opioid agonist treatments, supervised consumption sites and naloxone distribution, North America has struggled to reduce DTDs effectively. This suggests that similar strategies in Europe might also be insufficient in the face of a potential fentanyl crisis, emphasising the need for proactive measures and innovative approaches such as safer opioid supply programs.