Home > International standards on drug use prevention. Second updated edition.

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, World Health Organization. (2020) International standards on drug use prevention. Second updated edition. Vienna: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

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External website: https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/prevention/preventi...

The first edition of these Standards was published in 2013, summarizing the evidence of drug use prevention at the global level with a view to identify effective strategies, ensuring that children and youth, especially the most marginalized and poor, grow and stay healthy and safe into adulthood and old age.

Member States and other national and international stakeholders recognised the value of this tool, with the Standards acknowledged multiple times as useful basis to improve the coverage and quality of evidence-based prevention.1 In addition, in 2015, the Member States of the United Nations made a series of wide-ranging commitments in the Sustainable Development Goals to be achieved by 2030 and Target 3.5 pledges to strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance abuse. In April 2016, the Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly on the world drug problem heralded a new era for addressing drug use and drug use disorders through a balanced and health-centred system approach.

In the context of this renewed emphasis on the health and wellbeing of people, UNODC and WHO are pleased to join forces and present this updated second edition. As in the case of the first edition, the Standards summarize the currently available scientific evidence on the basis of overview of recent systematic reviews, and describe interventions and policies that have been found to improve drug use prevention outcomes. In addition, the Standards identify the major components and features of an effective national prevention system. This work builds on, recognizes and is complementary to the work of many other organizations (e.g. EMCDDA, CCSA, CICAD, CP, NIDA2) which have developed other standards and guidelines on various aspects of drug use prevention.

It is our hope that the Standards will continue to guide policy makers and other national stakeholders worldwide to develop programmes, policies and systems that are a truly effective investment in the future of children, youth, families and communities.

Prevention strategies based on scientific evidence working with families, schools, and communities can ensure that children and youth, especially the most marginalized and poor, grow and stay healthy and safe into adulthood and old age. For every dollar spent on prevention, at least ten can be saved in future health, social and crime costs.

This is the second updated edition of the Standards and has been published jointly with the World Health Organisation. As in the case of the first edition, the Standards summarize the currently available scientific evidence, describing interventions and policies that have been found to result in positive prevention outcomes and their characteristics. Concurrently, the document identifies the major components and features of an effective national drug prevention system. It is our hope that the Standards will assist policy makers worldwide to develop programmes, policies and systems that are a truly effective investment in the future of children, youth, families and communities. This work builds on and recognizes the work of many other organizations (e.g. EMCDDA, CCSA, CICAD, Mentor, NIDA, WHO) which have previously developed standards and guidelines on various aspects of drug prevention.

The Standards have been recognized by Member States as a useful tool to promote evidence-based prevention in the following documents:
  • The Joint Ministerial Statement on the mid-term review of the implementation by Member States of the Political Declaration and Plan of Action;
  • Resolution 57/3 - Promoting prevention of drug abuse based on scientific evidence as an investment in the well-being of children, adolescents, youth, families and communities; and,
  • Resolution 58/3 - Promoting the protection of children and young people, with particular reference to the illicit sale and purchase of internationally or nationally controlled substances and of new psychoactive substances via the Internet.
  • Resolution 58/7
    Strengthening cooperation with the scientific community, including academia, and promoting scientific research in drug demand and supply reduction policies in order to find effective solutions to various aspects of the world drug problem (operative paragraph 2)
  • Resolution 59/6
    Promoting prevention strategies and policies (operative paragraphs 5 and 14)
  • Outcome Document of UNGASS 2016 on the World Drug Problem (paragraph 1.(h))
  • Resolution 60/7
    Promoting scientific evidence-based community, family and school programmes and strategies for the purpose of preventing drug use among children and adolescents
  • Resolution 61/2
    Strengthening efforts to prevent drug abuse in educational settings
  • Resolution 61/9
    Protecting children from the illicit drug challenge
  • 2019 Ministerial Declaration
  • Resolution 63/4
    Promoting the involvement of youth in drug prevention efforts
Item Type
Report
Publication Type
International, Guideline, Report
Drug Type
Alcohol, All substances, Substances (not alcohol/tobacco), Cannabis, CNS depressants / Sedatives, CNS stimulants, Cocaine, Inhalents and solvents, Opioid, New psychoactive substance, Prescription/Over the counter
Intervention Type
Prevention
Source
Date
September 2020
Pages
60 p.
Publisher
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
Corporate Creators
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, World Health Organization
Place of Publication
Vienna
Notes
Pre-editing and pre-publication version
EndNote

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