Drug Abuse and Prevention Programs in 29 Countries

Abstract

In this paper, drug prevention programs in 29 countries are reviewed and summarized. The material was gathered from the reports that each country had prepared for the World Health Organization project on Guidelines for Drug Abuse Prevention. Each report provided a detailed schedule of background data on drug abuse and prevention programs in that country. The sophistication of prevention programs varies considerably from one country to another and depends on the degree and nature of the problem. An analysis of this material indicates that the seriousness of the drug problem is well recognized in some countries but not in others. In some of the latter countries it is obvious that no real problem exists, while in others little is known about the extent of the problem and little effort is spent in this area.