Expert meeting on the epidemiological indicator prevalence and patterns of drug use, 2018

The 2018 annual expert meeting on the EMCDDA epidemiological indicator ‘Prevalence and patterns of drug use among the general population’ (often referred to as the 'General population surveys indicator') took place on 15 and 16 May at the EMCDDA in Lisbon.

The meeting brought together experts from almost all EU Member States, Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) and European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) countries, Kyrgyzstan and Switzerland.

These regular meetings on the indicator change their focus from year to year. This year particular attention was given to methodological developments on the indicator, the way surveys can be used to measure different topics other than illicit drugs, the link between drug use surveys and other drug-related monitoring tools. In addition, targeted surveys in drug use served as a platform for discussion on drug use issues more broadly.