The 2021 National Drugs Forum focused on future needs and how we can anticipate changing patterns in drug use and supply to ensure our responses are robust and ready to meet new challenges. The forum was held online on 23 November 2021. The Department of Health in November 2021 published the midterm review of the national drugs strategy and has begun work on the six strategy priorities for 2021–2025.¹ The forum provided an opportunity to reflect on the themes of preparation and foresight central to both national and European drug policies.

On 21 July 2021, the Council of the European Union (EU) (Foreign Affairs) approved the EU Drugs Action Plan 2021–2025, prepared under the Portuguese presidency of the EU.¹ The Action Plan is the mechanism through which the EU will implement the EU Drugs Strategy 2021–2025, which was approved by the Council of Europe in December 2020, and the content of which was discussed in a previous issue of Drugnet.^2,3

On 8 November 2021, the Global Drug Policy Index (GDPI) was launched.¹ The GDPI is a composite index that scores and ranks countries on how their national drug policies and their implementation align with a set of indicators that reflect the United Nations (UN) recommendations on human rights, health, and development. These are laid down in the UN System Common Position on drugs and, more specifically, the related 2019 UN report, What we have learned over the last ten years: a summary of knowledge acquired and produced by the UN system on drug-related matters.^2,3

On 13 August 2021, as part of the 2021 Government spending review process, the Focused policy assessment of Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery: an analysis of expenditure and performance in the area of drug and alcohol misuse was published.¹ This focused policy assessment (FPA) of the national drugs strategy² was prepared by staff of the Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service (IGEES) based jointly in the Department of Health and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.

A midterm review of Ireland’s national drugs strategy was published on 17 November 2021, entitled Mid-term review of the national drugs strategy, Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery and strategic priorities 2021–2025.¹ It draws on a range of evidence sources to inform the strategic priorities and delivery structure for the remainder of the strategy’s lifetime.

The Report of the Night-Time Economy Taskforce was published in September 2021 in response to a sector badly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.¹ Pubs, clubs, and other businesses dependent on the night-time economy closed for long periods of time in response to national and regional lockdowns. This report is a result of collaboration from a range of Government Departments and agencies whose remit covers aspects of the night-time economy.

A report by the World Health Organization (WHO), Making the WHO European Region SAFER, provides an overview of alcohol-attributable burden of disease in the WHO European Region.¹ It also updates the changes in alcohol consumption between 2010 and 2016 and provides guidance for countries to implement high-impact alcohol policies.

The i-mark initiative of supporting independence from alcohol industry influence was developed by the Irish Community Action on Alcohol Network (ICAAN). ICAAN is encouraging organisations to sign up to the initiative, join the movement, and use the i-mark logo in their work. In doing so, organisations can demonstrate their independence from alcohol industry influence and funding.