Prevention strategies based on scientific evidence working with families, schools, and communities can ensure that children and youth, especially the most marginalized and poor, grow and stay healthy and safe into adulthood and old age. For every dollar spent on prevention, at least ten can be saved in future health, social and crime costs.
These global International Standards summarize the currently available scientific evidence, describing interventions and policies that have been found to result in positive prevention outcomes and their characteristics. Concurrently, the global International Standards identify the major components and features of an effective national drug prevention system. It is our hope that the International Standards will assist policy makers worldwide to develop programmes, policies and systems that are a truly effective investment in the future of children, youth, families and communities. This work builds on and recognizes the work of many other organizations (e.g. EMCDDA, CCSA, CICAD, Mentor, NIDA, WHO) which have previously developed standards and guidelines on various aspects of drug prevention.
The Standards have been recognized by Member States as a useful tool to promote evidence-based prevention in the following documents:
The documents are presently available only in English, but they are being translated in all UN official languages, and uploaded shortly. Russian translation is already available.
International Standards on Drug Use Prevention
Appendix II Annex I – List of mediating variables
Appendix II Annex II – Instruments for the assessment of evidence
Appendix II Annex III – List of interventions and possible study designs
Appendix II Annex IV – Summary of the quality assessment
Appendix II Annex V – Summary results of ‘good’ and ‘acceptable’ studies