The WHO Looks at Drug Abuse

Excerpt

The focus of a WHO Expert Committee that met in October 1973 was on prevention of drug dependence and abuse. This aim is explained in the published report (1) of the meeting: "to assess what is and is not known about preventing problems associated with the use of psychoactive dependence-producing drugs when taken in a manner unrelated to acceptable medical practice."

The report gives an impressive systematic approach to, and careful definition and description of, the main types of drug users ("initial and experimental," "casual," "dependent") and prevention on the various levels: availability, identification of persons at high risk, monitoring