Substance misuse

We are working to tackle the full range of substances misused in Wales, including:

• alcohol;
• illegal drugs such as heroin, cocaine and cannabis;
• prescription drugs such as anabolic steroids and benzodiazepines;
• over the counter drugs such as those containing codeine;
• volatile substances such as glue and aerosol propellants.

Tackling substance misuse demands that we look at a wide range of social and economic issues. For instance it can be linked to poverty, homelessness and a lack of work or leisure opportunities.

We are working with other organisations, such as health, social, education and voluntary services. Together we can more effectively work to reduce the problem by:

• education, for example to help young people resist drug misuse and achieve their full potential;
• treatment, to enable people with drug problems to overcome them;
• tackling availability so that illegal drugs are harder to buy.