Session 6 ATS policy development

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Session 6 ATS policy development

• Preventing Amphetamine-Type-Stimulant (ATS) Use
  Among Young People
• A UNODC Training Workshop

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A comprehensive ATS use prevention plan

• A comprehensive plan should give attention to
  both universal and selective targets
• Universal prevention targets the whole population
  without regard to their level of risk or their
  use of substances.
• Selective prevention targets young people who,
  due to their circumstances, are viewed to be at
  heightened risk, regardless of whether they use
  substances currently or not.

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Elements of an ATS prevention plan (1)

• ATS-specific activities should be embedded in
  broader substance abuse prevention and youth
  development activities/ strategies.
• A comprehensive approach could include
• Preventing alcohol and tobacco use through
  evidence-based policies and programming.
• Inserting universal ATS-specific drug education
  at the appropriate point in the school
  curriculum.
• Identifying credible vehicles in the community
  for delivering ATS-specific information
  messages.

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Elements of an ATS prevention plan (2)

• Providing a range of positive alternative
  activities accessible to all children and youth.
• Employing policy-based or environmental
  approaches where possible (e.g. in schools/ dance
  venues).
• Ensuring that the community is giving attention
  to services that build protective factors for
  vulnerable youth.
• Considering a balance between messages for the
  prevention of the negative health/ social
  consequences of drug use and preventive its ok
  not to use messages in populations that contain
  a mix of users and non-users.

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Good prevention is ATS prevention

• Risk and protective factors for ATS use are the
  same as for other kinds of substance abuse.
• The menu of policies and activities to choose
  from is therefore the same.
• In the end, what is important is to put in
  practice what is already known to be good
  practice in substance abuse prevention.

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Comprehensive, community based and consistent
prevention

• Substance abuse is linked to a range of risk
  protective factors.
• You need to address them with a range of
  activities involving a range of sectors in the
  community.
• Different activities in different settings send
  the same message and reinforce each other.

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Youth centred prevention

• Young people know best what they are interested
  in and who they will listen to.
• Involving the young people who will be the actual
  beneficiaries of activities in the development
  and implementation of activities ensures that
  activities are relevant.

Preventing ATS use among youth Workshop for
policy makers
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Prevention that is both based on and contributing
to knowledge

• Based on a participatory needs assessment to
  identify the relevant risk/protective factors.
• Based on evidence of what works and what doesnt
  work (good practices) in addressing
  risk/protective factors.
• Including strong monitoring and evaluation.

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Continuous prevention

• Start targeting young people before they start to
  use substances.
• Continue through adolescence and young adulthood
  with different activities according to the
  different developmental (age) stage of the young
  people.
• One-off events are not effective. Activities need
  to work with a target group often AND over a
  period of time.

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Thank YOU and good luck!