Abstract
Historically, black and minority ethnic communities have been the victims of negative stereotypes in respect to substance abuse. There has been a notable absence from recent national drug policies in the UK to address the health status and health care needs of black and ethnic minority. Evidence from both quantitative and qualitative surveys strongly indicated that the rate of prevalence of drug abuse within the black and minority ethnic groups, particularly among South Asians, was lower than that of the white population but with increasing trends. The evidence from quantitative surveys strongly indicated that the prevalence of alcohol misuse within black and minority groups was increasing, especially among the Indian and black Caribbean communities. There is evidence to suggest that black and minority ethnic substance misusers, especially those from South Asian communities and women, were under-presented in treatment services. Substance abuse among the growing diversity of black and ethnic minority communities has strong implications for the provision of health care in substance abuse services. Nurses and other health care professionals need to be aware of the existence of ethnic minorities within the community they serve.