Canada's Drug Strategy - Straight Facts About Drugs and Drug Abuse
What is Canada's Drug Strategy?
Canada's Drug Strategy
Canada's Drug Strategy is a national, concerted
effort to address alcohol and other drugs in
Canada. The long-term goal of Canada's Drug
Strategy is to reduce the harm associated with the
use of alcohol and other drugs to individuals,
families, and communities. This is accomplished
through pursuing the following five goals:
- Reducing the demand for drugs
- Reducing drug-related mortality and morbidity
- Improving the effectiveness of and accessibility to substance abuse information and interventions
- Restricting the supply of illicit drugs and reducing the profitability of illicit drug trafficking
- Reducing the costs of substance abuse to Canadian society.
Canada's Drug Strategy reflects a balance between
reducing the supply of drugs and reducing the
demand for drugs. It involves federal, provincial
and territorial governments and addiction agencies,
nongovernmental organizations, professional
associations, law enforcement agencies, the private
sector and community groups.
A comprehensive framework provides the basis for
the federal government's drug strategy. The
framework recognizes the importance and
interdependence of seven components:
research/knowledge development; knowledge
dissemination; prevention programming; treatment
and rehabilitation; legislation, enforcement and
control; national coordination; and international
cooperation.
The effectiveness of individual interventions is
linked to the degree to which six principles have
been recognized: sensitivity to gender, culture, and
age; involvement of target groups; attention to the
needs of people who use drugs; the underlying
determinants associated with drug abuse; the need
for an appropriate legislative framework and
prevention as the most cost-effective approach.
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