A new paper from the EU drugs agency (EMCDDA) reviews some of the approaches used today to minimise the hazards for young people in recreational settings. Surveys confirm that in many recreational venues drug use is more prevalent than in the general population. The report highlights the need for a balanced mix of prevention, harm reduction and law enforcement interventions to tackle the issue.

The EU drugs agency (EMCDDA) published a thematic report that reviews measures for creating safer nightlife environment for young people. According to the paper, surveys confirm that in many recreational venues drug use is more prevalent than in the general population. Moreover, drug and alcohol use in recreational settings are linked to a range of health and social problems. The Commission already stressed the need for action to protect young people from alcohol-related harm at the EU Alcohol and Health Forum celebrated in October 2011.

The report highlights that establishing partnerships between stakeholders (e.g. municipalities, police, health authorities) can also help implement successful nightlife interventions. Research shows that community-based programmes that deliver coordinated measures through multi-agency collaboration are more effective than single interventions. While the above approaches have shown positive results, the most common intervention targeting young people at nightlife events remains information provision via brochures or peer educators. Yet research has not found this to be an effective way of reducing drug- and alcohol-related problems in this target group.

On the other hand, the European Commission has funded a website project ‘The Healthy Nightlife Toolbox’ to improve the dissemination and implementation of evidence-based interventions for creating safer nightlife settings. This comprehensive source of information is designed to help local, regional and national policymakers, as well as prevention workers, to identify and implement effective responses.