Chaired by Livia Edegger, Deputy Director of the International Society of Substance Use Professionals (ISSUP), the specialist in this panel spoke about the importance of creating and strengthening the workface in drug demand reduction, through the collaboration of various organization and actors.

ISSUP’s mission

In her presentation, “Professionalization and strengthening of the labor field in demand reduction”, Edegger explained that ISSUP is a non-governmental organization that currently has more than 20 thousand members in 167 countries. Its role is to train, update and specialize technicians working in the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of addictions, in addition to providing opportunities for interaction and promoting the exchange of experiences and good practices between civil society, government, non-profit organizations, health centers, universities and other entities at the national and international level.

She highlighted that ISSUP is supported by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs of the U.S. Department of State, and works closely with the International Consortium of Universities for Drug Demand Reduction (ICUDDR) and with the Global Center for Credentialing and Certification (GCCC). In addition, events and webinars have been held in collaboration with the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission of the Organization of American States.

Regarding activities, she explained that they are carried out in three areas: digital, face to face and virtual events and National Chapters. The first one, consists of the website, which has information on training in universal prevention and treatment curricula, manuals and course materials, and information on the trainers. Additionally, she pointed out that the online Learning Hub project was recently launched, where the universal prevention and treatment curricula are converted into virtual courses.

The Deputy Director of ISSUP Global spotlighted the importance of National Chapters for the organization, since they create knowledge management communities, which promote innovation and foster the exchange of experiences and evidence-based practices. She pointed out that ISSUP currently has six Chapters in Latin America: Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador and Peru. Among the projects and initiatives launched by the Chapters are virtual events, discussions, resources and materials, research studies and collaboration with universities, non-profile organizations and governments. Finally, she noted that the Mexico Chapter was launched in 2019, under the leadership of Centros de Integración Juvenil.

The head of the Global Programs and Policy Branch of the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs of the US Department of State, Brian Morales, gave a presentation entitled “Professionalizing and Strengthening the Drug Demand Reduction Workforce”. He highlighted that professionalization is one of the fundamental pillars of this effort because, in addition to family and friends, people working in the field of addictions are the closest to those who consume and suffer from related disorders. However, one of the challenges encountered in this field is the difficulty in identifying the workforce; in addition, many countries do not have treatment centers or formal systems. For this reason, the International Bureau promotes, through international organizations, the mapping of treatment and prevention systems working with countries around the world.

“Drug use disorder has a major impact not only on public health, but also on safety, crime and violence in neighborhoods, and instability in the social and economic development of countries”: head of Global Programs and Policy Branch.

Increase training in 2022

In this way, he explained, identifying where there are treatment centers, where there are prevention programs, and work through these organizations to involve personnel and collaborate with governments to provide ongoing training and professionalization.

“Training alone is not enough. We have to make sure that those knowledge and skills are reflected in practice, and beyond that, it is important to bring everyone together in the field of addiction care” - the head said. 

With respect to future plans, the speaker started that the course for 2022 is to focus on training individual treatment and prevention workers, and then focus on organizations and directly apply services. Likewise, it seeks to support the development of international standards for the treatment of drug use disorders in conjunction with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the Pan American Health Organization, the Cooperation Programme between Latin America, the Caribbean and the European Union on Drugs Policies and the Organization of American States. He affirmed that work has been done to transform the international standards that currently exist into a quality assurance program to support international organizations in training and support governments in monitoring and supervising their treatment systems.

On the other hand, Kimberly Johnson, executive director of the International Consortium of Universities for Drug Demand Reduction, gave a presentation entitled “Developing a Global Drug Demand Workforce”. She exposed that scientific research does not translate into the field of addiction and many times services that are not based on scientific evidence. She explained that if we want to prevent substance use and the problems that derive from it, it is necessary to identify the best strategies and use the results of scientific research in the development of policies and programs. She also stated that it is common for drug policy makers and community activists to use ineffective or harmful methods in the design of programs and campaigns.

“Universities can ensure the development of research that identifies effective strategies and the transmission of the results to students, professionals, policy makers and the general public. When these programs fail, people believe that prevention does not work and dismiss all efforts outright; one aspect of translating research into practice is the university education” – executive director of the International Consortium of Universities for Drug Demand Reduction.

Objectives of the International Consortium of Universities for Drug Demand Reduction

As a result of a meeting of the Colombo Plan, in 2016 the International Consortium of Universities for the Reduction of Drug Demand emerged, a non-governmental organization that addresses the existing gap in the translation of research into practice. The idea was to create a global coordination for university efforts and facilitate greater multidisciplinary integration in the field of addiction. The objectives of the Consortium are:

1. Develop an international network of universities with academic and training programs in drug demand reduction and addiction studies that supports the use of research in education.
2. Engage students and teachers in dialogue about improving knowledge of substance use and the resulting problems.
3. Advance applied research and implementation science in drug demand reduction.
4. Increase partnerships between university drug demand reduction programs and the communities in which they are located.
5. Advocate for the improvement of academic study programs on addiction and drug demand reduction.

Kimberly Johnson indicated that the Consortium currently has 274 members in 72 countries and its most recent program is the International Center for Technology Transfer, where it seeks to support not only the people who make up the workforce in the addiction field, but also to governments and organization around substance use issues and their problems. The program is already underway in Ukraine, Vietnam and South Africa, and there are plans to bring it to Mexico. According to the Consortium’s executive director, the approach is to assess the shortcomings and needs of a country or region and then address them with the government or organizations. Such an approach can range from the very basic (such as providing additional training for the workforce in the area of prevention or treatment), or it could be something more complex, such as doing research or working with a government organization to develop policies or systems.

Becky Vaughn, director of the Global Center for Credentialing and Certification (GCCC), gave a presentation on “Building an International Credentialing System for Drug Demand Reduction Professionals”, where she discussed the importance of focusing on building a professional drug demand reduction workforce. She exposed that the GCCC provides verification of experience and appropriate examinations to ensure that governments and other employers are hiring and utilizing the most qualified professionals. She reported that the Center has treatment credentials offered at four different levels, in addition to supporting exams that are updated based on new treatment curricula; the most relevant credential is the International Certificate of Addictions Professional (ICAP).

Training must be constant

Becky Vaughn detailed that the professionalization process is done with committed individuals, through different courses available, in addition to working directly with those suffering from addiction, either in treatment center or other setting, as managed by each country. To obtain an ICAP credential, knowledge and skills are required to be tested through an exam. Once this process is completed, the procedure begins again, as continuous learning, training and evaluation are key to the Center.

The panelist stated that training is not enough, as the workforce must be certified: "We used to think that poor treatment only meant that the person did not get better, now we understand that poor treatment can be harmful or even deadly". She added that certifications must meet minimum standards that have been established in a global situation and ensure that those working in the field of demand reduction have sufficient resources.

Professionalizing the drug demand reduction workforce

Finally, the General Director of Centros de Integración Juvenil and President of ISSUP Mexico, Carmen Fernández Cáceres, presented the paper “Applying Theory to Reality: a Country Example and the Potential to Professionalize the Drug Demand Reduction Workforce”. In it, she noted that COVID-19 and the new reality have uncovered the importance of mental health, as recent events have generated depression, anxiety, school dropouts and increased family violence, all of which are risk factors for drug use.

She pointed out that, although there are records of sectors of the population that have reduced their consumption of substances due to confinement, there is clearly an increase in consumption among young people. This is exacerbated by school dropout rates, which in Mexico have reached five million students, and the lack of job opportunities. She noted that in epidemiological trends, the increase in opiate and methamphetamine use throughout the Latin American region has been evident.

Therefore, she said that in the face of reality in constant transformation, it is imperative to direct efforts towards research, training and updating of human resources, with a transdisciplinary approach that combines the capabilities of the social and health sciences, with the incorporation of elements of management, legislation, and public policies. The changing nature of the phenomenon of drug use also requires the permanent updating of curricula, in order to base them on the most recent scientific evidence, in addition to considering technology transfer with professionals, organizations and universities around the world.

Strategies and results were shared at the International Congress on Addictions.

She emphasized that CIJ has had contact with many organizations for taking and giving courses on public policies, evaluation, evaluation indicators for preventive and treatment programs, which allows the correction of formal programs and the development of many offers; it is a coordinated work network that extends all over the world. She highlighted that the International Congress on Addictions is part of this initiative to listen to the strategies and results of the most important researchers to know the most recent evidence and seeks that the exchange allows to improve training and initiate research programs.

“Training and human resources formation efforts are unlimited and will continue to emerge to nurture, correct and update universal curricula for the prevention and treatment of drug use. The curricula are the basis for the training of professionals, as they are based on scientific evidence, encourage exchange and place all those involved in the same information channel" – CIJ General Director.

CIJ has a virtual classroom with courses, seminars, diploma courses and postgraduate programs focused on the prevention and treatment of addictions, based on international standards and endorsed by the most important universities in the country. Through this educational offer, more than 30 thousand people have been trained in topics related to child abuse, grief, attention to family violence and psychological support. All this makes it possible to effectively direct the work of professionals to reduce the demand for drugs.