Marijuana is the most widely consumed illicit substance worldwide, with an estimated 192 million individuals reporting its use in the last 12 months in 2018, according to the 2020 World Drug Report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODCP).

An article by Dr. Sergio Nicastri, a psychiatrist in the clinical staff of the Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein sought to summarize some relevant issues related to marijuana and its consumption.

Important points to highlight include the increase in THC levels over time in available marijuana preparations, as well as new forms of...

*By Claudemir dos Santos and Rodrigo Flaire

In another video of Prevent Always, Rodrigo Flaire – State Coordinator of Drug Policies of São Paulo – and Claudemir dos Santos – Technical Director of Prevention of COED-SP, talk about how to deal with our feelings and our emotions and how this is related to the theme of prevention of drug use.

Knowing how to deal with emotions

One of the main life skills, according to the World Health Organization ( WHO ) is knowing how to deal with emotions. And this has a very strong correlation with emotional intelligence.

Psychology studies...

Abuse of alcoholic beverages can weaken the immune system and leave the body more exposed to diseases.

Staying healthy and adopting habits that strengthen immunity are recommendations of health professionals since the beginning of the pandemic of the new coronavirus - being important measures for the body to be better prepared if it comes into contact with the virus. In this context, alcohol abuse becomes a relevant point of attention.

According to several studies, excessive alcohol consumption can weaken our immune system, making the body an easier target for diseases. This is because...

O Conselho Nacional de Políticas sobre Drogas (CONAD) realizou reunião extraordinária, na 2ª feira, dia 06 de julho de 2020, aprovando importantes pontos de pauta, que fortalecerão a Política sobre Drogas no Brasil.

Em um dos pontos avaliados, o CONAD rechaçou todas as seis recomendações da Organização Mundial da Saúde (OMS), feitas à Comissão de Narcóticos da Organização das Nações Unidas (ONU), para a flexibilização e redução do controle internacional sobre a cannabis e substâncias relacionadas. Diante do claro perigo que eventual diminuição do controle da cannabis e de substâncias...

Since May 31, World No Tobacco Day, the São Paulo State Department of Health has reinforced, with the SUS, the virtual care campaign for those who want to quit smoking during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Online care has been active since April with the aim of reducing covid-19 transmission while caring for the smoking patient who wants to give up addiction.  All units linked to the program were instructed to make use of virtual technology.

In total, 6,910 smokers are being treated with online expert support from 1,467 units accredited by the State Tobacco Control Program.

Relying on...

Global drug consumption increases, while COVID-19 impacts markets, according to the World Drug Report 2020, released on June 25, 2020 by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

The Report shows that around 269 million people used drugs in the world in 2018 – an increase of 30% compared to 2009. In addition, more than 35 million people suffer from drug use disorders.

The Report also looks at the impact of COVID-19 on drug markets, and while its effects are not yet fully known, border closures and other pandemic-related restrictions have already caused drug shortages on the...

With the theme "United for Life", event will discuss actions on prevention and combating drugs in the country

The 22nd National Week of Drug Policies will be held by the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, in partnership with the Ministry of Citizenship, between 22 and 26 June. With the theme Unidos Pela Vida, the event is aimed at the treatment of drug addicts and the repression of the supply of narcotics in the country.

This year, The National Drug Policy Week debuts with the 1st annual meeting of the National Council on Drug Policies (Conad), attended by The Minister of Justice...

Smoking and Coronavirus: a fatal combination

Smoking is the leading preventable cause of disease and death not only in the United States but also in Brazil. The current mortality perspective from cigarette use in developed and developing countries is 6 million.

According to the Johns Hopkins University balance sheet on 06/17/2020, the world has more than 445,000 deaths from the coronavirus.

So, when we analyze the hyperbolic numbers, we see that the world is affected by two pandemics and one of them, the largest, favors the worsening of the infection and the transmission of the virus...

According to Botvin (2004) and Sloboda (2004), there is empirical evidence that prevention programs, such as Life Skills, based on knowledge, identification of risk factors and development of psychosocial skills related to drugs are more effective. One of the examples of the use of the life skills model for the prevention of the use of psychoactive substances, with greater success and application time, is the work of more than 20 years carried out by Botvin and collaborators, from Cornell University, United States. With the school as its stage of action, the program called Life Skills Training...

Life skills are capacities for positive adaptive behavior, which enable us to effectively negotiate the demands and challenges of everyday life. They involve personal skills that will enhance interpersonal relationships. The WHO suggests that programs be developed to reduce risk behaviors and increase physical and mental health care. Adolescents are a special population for these programs, due to their greater vulnerability.

The life skills model consists of favoring the development of a set of ten competencies, being grouped into categories that complement each other: social and...

Adolescence is one of the most important periods of people's lives. This phase of human development, in which the child becomes an adult, delimits the potential for psychological growth of the individual. Depending on how one structures oneself psychologically, the adolescent can become a successful or failed adult.

Adolescence is also characterized by being a period in which there are greater possibilities for adolescents to experience new and, precisely because they are new, attractive. This makes them more vulnerable to exhibiting behaviors that endanger their health.

The most...