WHO Focuses on Global Alcohol and Drug Epidemiology
Expert group to refine data and prevention strategies.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is intensifying its efforts to address the global challenges of alcohol and drug use by convening a technical advisory group to improve data collection and prevention strategies.
TAG-ADE’s Mission
The Technical Advisory Group on Alcohol and Drug Epidemiology (TAG-ADE) supports the WHO Secretariat with technical advice concerning the epidemiology of harm related to alcohol and drug use. A primary goal of the group involves enhancing the quality of WHO’s data on global alcohol and drug use and the associated disease burden.
TAG-ADE also delivers recommendations and technical advice, working to improve international research, estimates, data collection procedures, and indicators for both prevention and treatment coverage regarding substance use disorders.
Upcoming Meeting in July 2025
The TAG-ADE meeting scheduled for July 2025 will inaugurate the 2025–2027 term. During this meeting, members will confirm leadership, reintroduce the group’s mandate and strategic direction, and refine comparative risk assessment (CRA) methodologies for alcohol and drug use to improve the accuracy of global burden estimates.
The group will also consider including additional conditions, such as early-onset dementia and specific outcomes related to injection drug use, in global estimates. They will provide feedback on WHO’s draft estimates of alcohol- and drug-attributable burden for upcoming reporting cycles and help develop normative products like WHO reports and data tools.
Globally, nearly one in twenty adults between the ages of 15-64 years, used drugs in 2022, according to the 2024 UNODC World Drug Report.
Contact Information
For more details, contact:
Anja Busse
Unit Head
Alcohol, Drugs and Addictive Behaviours
World Health Organization
E-mail: Anja Busse
