Drugs, Habits and Social Policy

Aims & Scope

Drugs, Habits and Social Policy (DHS) is a quarterly, international, peer-reviewed journal publishing research and theoretical contributions in the field of drug use and policy.

The journal provides a platform for the dissemination of the current social drug policy research and seeks to stimulate critical debates about social, health and political consequences and contexts of drug use.

DHSP aims to highlight cultural, social and material contexts of drug use, policy, and professional practices.

We welcome submissions that highlight the lived experiences of people who use drugs and engage with evidence of harm reduction.

National and international policy frameworks developed to control the production, distribution and use of psychoactive substances, both legal and illegal, are of particular interest.

The journal aims to contribute to the critical debate on the international drug control regime, the dominant problematisation and medicalisation of drug use and the criminalisation of people who use drugs.

In this mission, we also welcome practitioner papers that specifically address professionals and users engaged in drug services and the development of harm reduction initiatives on global and local scales.

DHSP is committed to the use of sensitive and inclusive language and encourages submissions that are critical of disease-informed models of drug use.

It is our aim to provide a platform for open and mindful reflections in high-quality research about drugs from across the world.

DHSP welcomes original research articles using qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods designs, practitioner papers, policy papers, and book reviews.

View Aims & Scope

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Metrics & Ranking

Impact Factor

Year	Value
2025	1.6
2024	1.30

Journal Rank

Year	Value
2024	16357

Journal Citation Indicator

Year	Value
2024	67

SJR (SCImago Journal Rank)

Year	Value
2024	0.309

Quartile

Year	Value
2024	Q3

h-index

Year	Value
2024	23

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Abstracting & Indexing

Journal is indexed in leading academic databases, ensuring global visibility and accessibility of our peer-reviewed research.

• Scopus
• Google Scholar
• Web of Science

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Subjects & Keywords

Journal’s research areas, covering key disciplines and specialized sub-topics in Medicine, Psychology and Social Sciences, designed to support cutting-edge academic discovery.

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Most Cited Articles

The Most Cited Articles section features the journal's most impactful research, based on citation counts. These articles have been referenced frequently by other researchers, indicating their significant contribution to their respective fields.

• Estimation of the global number of vapers: 82 million worldwide in 2021

  Citation: 40

  Authors: Tomasz, Gerry V.

• What is drug checking, anyway?

  Citation: 38

  Authors: Monica J., Fiona

• A distributed model to expand the reach of drug checking

  Citation: 18

  Authors: Bruce, Lea, Abdelhakim, Azam, Piotr, Abby, Taylor, Rebecca, Collin, Derek, Belaid, Margaret-Anne, Chris, Dennis

• Who uses drug checking services? Assessing uptake and outcomes at English festivals in 2018

  Citation: 12

  Authors: Fiona, Henry

• WHO’s first scientific review of medicinal <i>Cannabis</i>: from global struggle to patient implications

  Citation: 10

  Authors: Kenzi, Michael Alan

• Sociodemographic differences and experienced effects of young adults who use cannabis mainly for self-medication versus recreationally in Finland

  Citation: 7

  Authors: Aleksi, Ali, Jussi, Atte

• Drug checking in New Zealand: the 2020 and 2021 drug and substance checking legislation acts

  Citation: 6

  Authors: Fiona

• Size matters: comparing the MDMA content and weight of ecstasy tablets submitted to European drug checking services in 2012–2021

  Citation: 6

  Authors: Ruben Quirinus, Fiona, Adrià, Anton, Dominique, Sarah, Dean, Josie, Marko, Daniel, Mar, Carlos J., Ilaria Fineschi, Enrico, Alexandra, Raoul Pieter Joost, Laura Alexandra, Mireia

• Échele Cabeza as a harm reduction project and activist movement in Colombia

  Citation: 5

  Authors: Mauro, Nathalia, Yarelix, Vannesa, Julián

• Pandemic lockdown as policy window for street-level innovation of health and substitution treatment services for people who use drugs

  Citation: 5

  Authors: Maj, Esben

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