On the occasion of the International day against drug abuse and illicit trafficking, which is dedicated this year to the theme “People first: stop stigma and discrimination, strengthen prevention”, the Italian Presidency of the Council of Europe Pompidou Group reaffirms its strong commitment to prevention, as a cornerstone of any drug policy respectful of human rights.
This has been the subject of a major international seminar, organized in Venice on 22 June 2023, with a particular focus on young people. More than 80 participants from 28 countries along with the EMCDDA, the UNODC and the INGO Conference of the Council of Europe, attended the event, hosted by the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Anti Drug Policy Department, in the historical venue of Palazzo Franchetti. The participation of 2 Ministers, 1 Deputy Minister and 2 State Secretaries from Italy showed that early prevention of drug use among young people is a key priority for the Italian government.
As a complement to the presentation of Italian experiences in different settings, Pompidou Group member states shared information on their prevention strategies based on scientific evidence and as well as on standards developed at European and international level. The recent initiative by the Pompidou Group to work on children and families affected by parental drug use and the presentation of four new publications on this issue were commended by the participants.
Among the key messages of the seminar emerged “the earlier the better”: prevention measures should address young children well before they become teenagers. They should highlight health related damages of the use of all kind of drugs, be they licit (alcool, tobacco) or illicit. They should also raise awareness about the danger of uncontrolled use of Internet and social networks. Parental (and familial) responsibility is crucial in this respect.
The seminar confirmed the need of a multidisciplinary and multistakeholder approach based on inter-ministerial cooperation with involvement of all relevant authorities at local, regional, national and international level to develop effective prevention strategies. To avoid the use of drugs and develop life skill competences to be able to say no to drugs at an early age should be the prerequisite of any prevention intervention. Tools which have demonstrated their efficiency exist and standards developed by EMCDDA and UNODC are successfully adapted and implemented by many countries. They rely on skills to be promoted by parents in the first place, by schools, and by all structures which are interacting with young people.
The important role played by civil society actors has also been highlighted, and reference was made in this respect to the European drug prevention prize, created by the Pompidou Group in 2004 and whose next edition will take place in 2025.
