Abstract
The paper focuses on the public health impact of substance use and factors related to their regulation, as well as on the contri-bution of the use of addictive substances (tobacco, alcohol and illegal drugs) to the overall health burden. Health and social harms of different addictive substances are compared.
Examples of significant changes in the population health associated with addicti-ve substances are presented. Exposure to addictive substances in the context of other adverse socio-economic factors is a signifi-cant determinant of health, and can dramatically reduce life expectancy even in developed countries.
Different addictive substan-ces are associated with different levels of harm and contribute to the overall health burden to a different extent, with licit substan-ces (tobacco and alcohol) having the strongest impact due to their high prevalence in the population, however their harmfulness at the individual level is also very high. A balanced set of policy measures including supply regulation as well as prevention, harm reduction and treatment measures play a crucial role in the nature and extent of the consequences of substance use in the society.