Liverpool to host international drugs conference » Communities » 24dash.com

Liverpool is to host international conference Protecting young people, families and communities - evidence based responses to the new drugs strategy, at the Holiday Inn, Liverpool city centre, Friday 21st November 2008.

Recent figures suggest that drug and alcohol use by young people in the UK is amongst the highest in Europe. The health and social consequences of such behaviour place great burdens on the individual as well as society as a whole.

Increasingly, drug and alcohol use has also been associated, rightly or wrongly, with youth gangs, and recent changes in the laws on cannabis mean that many young people will face increased criminal penalties if caught with the drug.

The Centre for Public Health, Liverpool John Moores University, in association with Liverpool CitySafe, Young Addaction Liverpool, and HIT are convening an international conference on November 21st in Liverpool to discuss these important issues.

Leading experts from the UK (Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow), EU, and USA in the fields of drugs, youth work, violence, health and social inclusion will gather to discuss the problems faced by young people today and propose evidence based solutions.