Women as vulnerable subjects: A gendered reading of the English and Irish drug strategies

Highlights • Both strategies use vulnerability to understand women's pathways into/out of drugs. • The UK strategy concentrates on ‘victimized’ women who are vulnerable to drug use. • The Irish strategy focuses on women's continuing drug use due poor service provision. • Both strategies fall short of a gender-responsive approach to drug policy. • Gender mainstreaming is needed to develop more inclusive drug policies