Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) Research Specialist Pernell Clarke.
New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) are rapidly emerging worldwide, and Research Specialist Pernell Clarke has given a behind-the-scenes look of the collaborative international effort to combat the issue.
The International Experts Webinar on the Early Warning System (EWS) conducted by Specialist Clarke, of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD), which is the consultative and advisory body of the Organization of American States (OAS) on the drug issue, was organised by the National Council on Substance Abuse (NCSA).
Clarke explained that CICAD serves as a forum for OAS member states to discuss and find solutions to the drug problem, and provides them technical assistance to increase their capacity to counter the drug problem. Since its establishment in 1986, CICAD and its Executive Secretariat have responded to the ever-changing challenges of drug control, expanding its efforts to promote regional cooperation and coordination with and among its member states.
The Inter-American Observatory on Drugs Unit (OID) is the research unit of CICAD, providing support to OAS member states in the collection and analysis of data on the drug problem so that they can design more effective national drug policies.
“It prepares and publishes reports on drug use in the Americas and supports national surveys and publications; develops and disseminates standardized protocols for the collection of data and the implementation of drug related studies; promotes strong national drug observatories that use standardized data collection methods; and supports the establishment of drug information networks and early warning systems to improve drug-related data collection, analysis, and dissemination,” said Clarke.
The research specialist defined the EWS as a low-cost mechanism to share information on new threats and trends. A system that collects and rapidly disseminates information on threats to public health and safety posed by new or existing psychoactive substances so that responses can be quickly developed and implemented.
Clarke highlighted that there was a need for EWS because there were NPS emerging rapidly and information was not being shared effectively, therefore regulation was also lacking.
“There was little to no information on the substances other than street names, no way to share information to alert stakeholders and no way to regulate these new substances. The effects on health were also unknown and so was the implications for services. The Early Warning Systems were set up specifically for NPS,” he explained.
The system is truly important because it allows for needed information exchange and production of reliable evidence on the drug phenomenon, followed by a timely risk assessment and also decisions on how to control the drug problem.
“It allows early detection of possible threats and for a quick characterization of risk and assessment of threats. It can be used to emit alerts and timely messages based on evidence, to population groups that are at risk or to institutions that can prevent, mitigate or counteract such risks. It is an effective way for different institutions to join efforts to improve monitoring of key indicators, the early identification of threats and collaboration on responses including international responses,” Clarke outlined.