Department for Social Vices Prevention (DSVP) and SCDI organized a workshop on effective drug prevention and development of drug prevention strategies.
The workshop received the participation of Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Thuy, Standing member of the Committee on Social Affairs of the National Assembly; Mr. Doan Huu Bay, Deputy Director of Department of Science and Education of the Office of the Government; representatives from DSVP and other departments under the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs; representatives from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA); and journalists from mass media agencies.
In the opening speech, Mr. Le Van Khanh, Deputy Director of DSVP, said that in order to achieve a target of reducing the number of people who use drugs by 5% annually, many approaches from communication, education, administrative sanctions to compulsory drug treatment have been used. Yet, their results have not been as expected. In fact, the number of new drug users are increasing every year. Thus, there’s a need for an effective drug prevention program, which is as important as the treatment component .
Mr. John Hamilton, Chief Executive Officer of Recovery Network of Programs from Connecticut, USA, gave a presentation on effective drug prevention experiences. With scientific evidence and cost-effectiveness analysis, America has changed from the use of scare tactics, information and drug education only to a science based approach which includes: affective education, partnerships, and replication of research based models and approaches. According to Mr. Hamilton, research shows that prevention programs not only prevent substance abuse, there is also a potential cost savings as a result of its implementation. Some research suggests that every $1 spent on substance abuse prevention saves between $2 to $20 in benefits.
Mr. Hamilton emphasized a goal of community prevention, which is to increase protective factors in communities and at the same time minimize risk factors. These factors include the community, the school setting, family, peer group and individual characteristics.
Mr. Le Van Khanh giving the opening speech (Left)
“America has changed from the use of scare tactics to science based aprroaches” – Mr. John Hamilton (right)