Tobacco, alcohol and other drug misuse accounts for a quarter of preventable death and disability in the developed world.

"Preventing Harmful Substance Use: The evidence base for policy and practice" offers a comprehensive summary of the best available scientific evidence for the prevention of harm from substance use. The editors provide a broad view of what constitutes prevention; including multiple approaches across various settings and levels of society. Each chapter provides important recommendations for supply, demand and harm reduction strategies that will improve the health of communities throughout the world.

A multidisciplinary team of leading international researchers and practitioners have worked together to provide authoritative accounts of their areas of expertise, which include the following: Updated concepts and theories of prevention including Community Systems Theory, Social Developmental Models, Deterrence, economics and more broad-based risk factor approaches. Overviews of the comparative health and economic costs associated with the use of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs. Worked examples of cost-benefit analyses and portfolio analyses to help policy makers decide how to invest available funds to achieve maximum population-level benefits. Up-to-date reviews of what works for a wide variety of policies and programs, including summary ratings of the strength of evidence for 70 specific strategies.

"Preventing Harmful Substance Use" will have international appeal to policy makers, educators, health professionals and researchers in psychology, psychiatry, sociology, criminology, economics, addiction, and health promotion.