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CONTENTS

Previous issue of The Observer News

JAMES F. MACK IS NEW CICAD EXECUTIVE SECRETARY

On September 15, 2004, the OAS welcomed Mr. James F. Mack as the new Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD). Most CICAD delegates will recognize Mr. Mack from his recent role as coordinator of the Inter-American Drug Observatory since 2002. Mr. Mack brings over seventeen years of experience in the narcotics field, at US embassies throughout Latin American and the Caribbean, as well as in the United States Department of State.

As coordinator of the OID Mr. Mack has had the opportunity to work with many OAS member states to develop their national drug observatories and enhance their ability to gather, analyze and publish reliable, timely information on all aspects of the drug problem in the hemisphere, and very importantly, to use that information to design effective counter-drug policies and programs.

View complete article in WORD or PDF

Argentina: 
Emergency Room Surveys

NIDA:
Early Nicotine Initiation Increases Severity of Addiction

What Works to Prevent and Reduce Alcohol and Drug Problems: CESAR FAX

Barbados launches new Newsletter

CICAD launches new Website

CICAD'S DEPARTING EXECUTIVE SECRETARY, MR. DAVID BEALL, REFLECTS 
UPON THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE COMMISSION DURING 
HIS TENURE AS EXECUTIVE SECRETARY

He said the Commission’s central identity lies in its multilateral and multidimensional nature, best reflected in the Multilateral Evaluation Mechanism (MEM) -- an example of shared responsibility for the drug problem in the Western Hemisphere. The MEM has been recognized by governments and independent publications alike as a model for collective action.

Mr. Beall stated that with the MEM, "the OAS overcame the conventional wisdom that countries could not act together on a controversial responsibility." He added that as the MEM matures and improves with every round, it will keep proving the need to move away from "unilateralism".

Graciela Ahumada, Dr. Maria Veronica Brasesco, Silvia Miorin
Research Area, SEDRONAR, Argentina
http://www.sedronar.gov.ar/ 

Within the framework of the project "Drug Abuse and Morbidity", financed by the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) of the Organization of American States (OAS), a study was conducted on emergency room consultations related to the use of psychoactive substances. This was done under the leadership of the Research Area of SEDRONAR. 

The study consisted of administration of the standardized survey of the Inter-American System of Uniform Data on Consumption of Drugs (SIDUC), with adjustments and incorporating new variables. It was conducted in public hospitals of the provincial capitals, simultaneously during the week of December 1-7, 2003. The population to be surveyed were all people older than 12 years of age that visited emergency services, excluding consultations for obstetrics. A total of 14,885 surveys were conducted nationwide. 

For more information, view article in WORD or PDF
(only available in Spanish)

Contact: Graciela Barreto
National Anti-Drug Plan Coordinator

STUDENT SURVEYS
The National Anti-Drugs Secretariat of the Presidency of Paraguay (SENAD) has published the National Student Survey on Prevalence of Drug Use, Risk Factors, and Prevention in students. This study was carried out by the Paraguayan Observatory on Drugs. 

In this publication the give a new focus the work of demand reduction, and there is a special emphasis in the work of epidemiological research on consumption among the youth. 

Results of the National Survey on Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Prevention 
in Students Ages 12 - 18  (PDF version, only available in Spanish)

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

Household Surveys
Additionally, SENAD has published the results of the "National Study on Drug Consumption in Paraguayan Households. Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Prevention." This study was also carried out by the Paraguayan Observatory on Drugs, with the assistance of the Inter-American Observatory on Drugs (OID). The methodology used was the Inter-American Uniform Drug Use Data System (SIDUC). 

This study contains results of what was communicated by household members, and contains a diagnosis of the drug consumption problem in households. In this manner, SENAD aims to address drug abuse prevention projects with better knowledge and understanding of the problem. 

National Study -- Drug Consumption in Paraguayan Households. Prevalence, Risk Factors and Prevention. 
Complete Study (PDF version, only available in Spanish)
Summary of the study (PDF version, only available in Spanish)

EARLY NICOTINE INITIATION INCREASES SEVERITY OF ADDICTION,
VULNERABILITY TO SOME EFFECTS OF COCAINE
By Patrick Zickler, NIDA NOTES Staff Writer

Most tobacco use begins during adolescence, and people who start in their teens are more likely to become life-long smokers than are those who first light up as adults. Adolescent smokers are more likely than adult smokers to become dependent on nicotine. And when compared with nonsmoking peers, young smokers are more likely to be abusers of other drugs: In 2002, the U.S. National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported that roughly half (48.1 percent) of youths aged 12 to 17 who smoked cigarettes in the past month also used an illicit drug, whereas only 6.2 percent of nonsmoking youths reported using an illicit drug in the past month.

For the full article, please visit:
http://www.nida.nih.gov/NIDA_notes/NNvol19N2/Early.html

WHAT WORKS TO PREVENT AND REDUCE ALCOHOL AND DRUG PROBLEMS?

CESAR FAX:
INFORMATION FROM THE CENTER FOR SUBSTANCE ABUSE RESEARCH
University of Maryland, College Park
http://www.cesar.umd.edu/

Join Together, a project of the Boston University School of Public Health, recently published a guide "intended to help voters and candidates for public office in 2004 learn about practical policies that, if adopted, can help save lives and restore families." The publication, 10 Drug and Alcohol Policies That Will Save Lives, outlines ten policies that are based on scientific evidence and were developed by groups of national experts and community leaders. 

The full publication is available online at http://www.jointogether.org/sa/action/tenpolicies/

For complete version of CESAR Fax, see PDF document

BARBADOS LAUNCHES NEWSLETTER: 
MATTERS OF SUBSTANCE
www.ncsa.org.bb

The National Council on Drug Abuse in Barbados has published its first Newsletter in September. It is titled "Matters of Substance". The aim is "to keep all those involved in the battle against substance abuse completely up to date with the activities of [this] organization, its stakeholders, and its supporters."

This issue highlights Barbados' key role in assessing the human, social and economic costs of substance abuse. It also focuses on the community and community outreach as a tool for drug prevention. 

For complete newsletter, view in PDF

CICAD LAUNCHES ITS NEW WEBSITE
www.cicad.oas.org

The Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission launched its new Web site in September. The new Website highlights CICAD's different action areas, projects, and achievements. 

We welcome your comments and feedback on CICAD's new Website. For comments, please e-mail us at oidcicad@oas.org . 

NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM CICAD

• The Demand Reduction Expert Group held its annual meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina from September 28-30. The topic of the meeting was Drug Prevention in Schools. More details on the results of the meeting will be published in the next edition of the Observer.  

• The Second Ibero-American Meeting of National Drug Observatories and SIDUC and CICDAT Coordinators, organized by CICAD's Inter-American Observatory on Drugs, the Delegation of National Drug Plan of Spain, and the International Cooperation Agency of Spain, was held in Santa Cruz, Bolivia from October 4-8. 

• The Expert Group in Money Laundering will meet in La Paz, Bolivia from October 27-29. The central topic of the meeting will be forfeiture. 

• The Thirty- Sixth Regular Session of CICAD will take place on December 7, 8, and 9 in the Headquarters of the Organization of American States in Washington, D.C.

This quarterly newsletter is published electronically and  circulated to encourage discussion and comment. The findings, interpretations, judgments, and conclusions expressed in this newsletter are those of the author(s) and should not be attributed to CICAD/OAS.