Pereira, Colombia �Drug Demand Reduction Demonstration Project��Objectives and Timeline

April 25, 2022

Impact of Drug Use

Research Supporting �Policy and Practice

• 70 years of scientific literature validate the fields of treatment and prevention
• International Standards for Treatment and Prevention summarize the evidence.
• Therefore, our message is positive/optimistic: body of research exists, confidence in evidence-based practices.

Defining the Areas of Effort: �Four Groups

Treating substance use and substance use disorders while reducing harms.

Preventing the initiation of drug use or stopping early onset of consumption.

Sustaining recovery free from drug use; preventing relapse.

Developing exit points from the criminal justice system into the treatment system for select populations.

Defining Areas of Effort

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Prevention

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Treatment

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Recovery

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Alternatives to Incarceration, Conviction or Punishment

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Objectives of the Project

• Deliver comprehensive prevention, treatment, recovery and ATI interventions:
• Achieve reductions in drug use
• Achieve reductions in drug-related crime.
• Conduct study to measure success in achieving these reductions.

Requisite Conditions

• Program must build on existing infrastructure and programs.
• New initiatives must be incorporated into local plans for sustainability.
• The programs should be replicable in other cities.
• International partners have developed numerous programs, but we should not exclusively use these.
• Important to keep an open mind.

International Partners

International Organizations

UNODC

OAS/CICAD -- OEA

Colombo Plan

PAHO -- OPS

International Associations

CADCA - Community Anti Drug Coalitions of America

ISSUP – Int’l Society of Substance Use Professionals

ICUDDR – Int’l Consortium of Universities for DDR

ITTC – Int’l Technology Transfer Center

ICQ – Int’l Consortium of Quality Assurance Agencies

International Consultants

Jac Charlier

Hendree Jones

Roger Peters

Nancy Dudley

International Researchers

PIRE - Pacific Institute on Research and Evaluation

Spirit of Partnership & Support

• The international partners are appreciative of the trust and partnership by the Colombian colleagues.
• All of our ideas are offered as recommendations; we are eager for feedback from Pereiran partners.
• Our international colleagues were selected because of their expertise and experience in adapting programs to meet local needs of the community.

Objectives of the Week

1. Learn from each other the current situation around drug use in Pereira.
2. Brainstorm on policy and programs that could address drug use.
3. Consider barriers and gaps to access services and incorporate these into plans for each area of effort.
4. Develop a master plan on the final day for the area of effort, recommending programs and parameters.

Timeline

2022 (February-April) Baseline survey

2022 (April) Development of Master Plan

2022 (May) Identify implementers for recommended interventions and resource needs; work with PIRE to collect evaluation data for your individual projects

2022 (May) Mapping of local points of contact for each intervention activity

2022 (June) Begin intervention activities when possible

Timeline (continued)

2022 (February-April): Baseline survey

2022-2023 (June-June): Year 1 Program

2023-2024 (June-June): Year 2 Program

2024-2025 (June-June): Year 3 Program

2025-2026 (June-June): Year 4 Program

2026 (June-August): Follow up survey

2026 (September): Completion of project; release of results

Schedule for the Week

Discuss the Challenges

Monday: Group introductions; group discussion on understanding the situation.

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See and Understand the Situation

Tuesday: Site visits; discuss elements of a city-wide plan for your area of effort

Schedule for the Week

Develop Solutions

Wednesday:

• Moderators & rapporteurs begin drafting plan with the group in Word.
• Consider:
• What are the drivers of drug use and crime?
• What is the most efficient way to reduce drug use and crime?
• How can these interventions be sustainable without international support?

Integrate Solutions into a Master Plan

Thursday:

• Groups present their areas to the other groups.
• Master plan is finalized.

Organization of working groups

Co-Moderators

Instructions for this Afternoon

• Colombian and international partners join the group most relevant to their expertise and area of work.
• Identify rapporteur to take notes.
• Map the stakeholders in Pereira for your group.
• What is the current drug use situation and how does it impact your group?
• Consider the system: what are gaps and barriers to access services?
• What other questions do we need to answer to effectively address the situation? Find this information!
• Who else is missing from the group? Invite persons / institutions for the remainder of the week.
• Preview site visits. What other site visit is missing?
• Try to organize additional visits if possible.

Conclusion

• We have a unique opportunity to have a transformational impact on a cross cutting issue that can have a measurable benefit for the people of Pereira.
• The international partners are grateful to have committed partners in Pereira and look forward to a fruitful collaboration.
• PIRE, as the international evaluation lead, requires the cooperation of all organizations and consultants to collect and provide data for the final report.