On 20 November 2008 the British-Irish Council's Misuse of Drugs Sectoral Group held a Ministerial meeting.1 Chaired by Ireland's Minister of State with responsibility for drugs strategy, John Curran TD, the meeting focused on how to engage effectively with communities regarding drug use. The ministers agreed that engaging communities and developing community-based responses can make a significant contribution in dealing with the issue of problem drug use in society. Although different administrations are developing their own approaches, the ministers were of the view that sharing experiences provides a good opportunity for learning from each other. They resolved to continue to co-operate and exchange experiences, with particular emphasis on initiatives that have led to successful outcomes and that may lend themselves to broader application in other administrations. 

•  Ireland hosted the tenth BIC Summit when the topic of 'Families and drugs misuse - challenges and opportunities' was discussed;
•  Northern Ireland hosted an expert seminar presented by Professor J David Hawkins (Seattle) on the topic 'Using advances in prevention science to guide substance misuse prevention in communities'; and
• Jersey hosted a meeting on 'Engagement of young people with substance misuse'.

•  Guernsey will host a meeting on substance issues in prisons;
•  Ireland will host a meeting on drug deaths indices;
•  Scotland will host a meeting on a topic for discussion yet to be finalised: and
•  Isle of Man will host the next Ministerial meeting in late 2009.