National Drug Strategy in Spain: 2000-2008
National Drug Strategy 2000-2008: Performance of the Central Government
4. A Step in the Performance of Central Government on Drugs: National Drugs Strategy 2000-2008
Achievements of the National Drug Plan (1985)
In the field of prevention, the 1985 National Drug Plan led to an agreement on basic criteria for common prevention programs among public authorities. It stressed education as a form of prevention, with the introduction of health education courses and materials. In assistance and reintegration, programs focused on harm reduction, opioid substitution, and social insertion. Modernizing legislation and establishing specialized bodies were also important advances in control.
New Measures in the National Drug Strategy (2000-2008)
The 2000-2008 strategy included measures in three areas:
1. Demand Reduction:
- Prevention: Education is the key element. Preventive programs are extended to the school population, working with the media and primary care teams in early intervention programs.
- Harm Reduction: Needle exchange programs in pharmacies and interventions in prisons. A specific line of action was initiated to reduce harm associated with alcohol consumption.
- Assistance and Social Integration: The goal is to normalize assistance for drug abusers. The system is structured around levels coordinated by the Autonomous Communities (CCAA). The first level involves primary care teams carrying out risk and harm reduction programs. The second level consists of outpatient interdisciplinary teams designing individualized plans. The third level includes hospital detoxification units and residential facilities.
2. Supply Reduction:
Efforts focused on combating international and domestic drug distribution by strengthening coordination between police, the Civil Guard, and specialized units.
3. International Cooperation:
International cooperation plays a crucial role in supply reduction.
The evaluation of these measures is based on information provided by the Spanish Observatory on Drugs, which also functions as an effective tool in decision-making, planning, and implementation of actions.
Social Integration for People with Drug Dependencies
The central objective is consolidating the supply of public care services. Government action arises from three premises:
- Complementarity between health facilities and social services.
- Empowering general care networks.
- Promoting alternatives to detention.
Public administrations have implemented programs and actions at two levels:
A. Customer Care for Drug Abusers
This addresses the health consequences and provides support to someone who decides to quit or reduce harm. There are two types of programs:
- Drug-Free Programs: Aim for the person to cease consumption, combining detoxification, addiction treatment, and social integration. The detoxification process, lasting 10 to 15 days, must be accompanied by building a new lifestyle.
- Intermediate Objectives Programs: When total abandonment is not initially feasible, these programs focus on methadone maintenance, administering this regulated pharmaceutical opiate under professional control. Harm reduction programs are oriented toward improving the hygienic conditions under which substances are administered and addressing health problems resulting from consumption.