Institutional Responses to Drug Demand in Central Europe

This title was first first published in 2002: Understanding the link between institutional contexts and drug problems is crucial to the process of developing appropriate drug policies and drug demand reduction strategies. However, this link is too often taken for granted, with most drug-related research relying on epidemiological, bio-medical or clinical approaches, ignoring the social contexts in which drug use finds its causes and where its consequences are most visible and hardest felt. This book analyses the institutional responses to the drug problem in the States of Central and Eastern Europe, providing conclusive evidence that the drug problem is a social one and that its causes emerge from a broad array of social factors. Charting the changing policy perceptions and attitudes towards drugs and related problems alongside new organizations designed to counteract drug-related problems, the book provides important new insights into one of the most important problems confronting nations around the world.

Flip Maas

Contents: Drug demand reduction in central European countries: analysing the institutional and organizational responses, Patrick Kenis. Country Studies: The drug problem in the Czech Republic: in search of an institutional structure, Ladislav Csémy and Franti°ek David Krch; Drug demand reduction in Hungary: the two worlds of prevalence and perception, Zsuzsanna Elekes and TÃ-nde Györy; Institutional responses to drug problems in Poland: on the crossroad, Robert Sobiech and Joanna Zamecka; The institutional response to drug-related problems in Slovenia: balancing between harm reduction and abstinence approaches, Bojan Dekleva and Renata Cvelbar Bek. Comparative Analysis: What are the interrelationships between drug problems and drug policy: lessons from the analysis of the institutional context, Ladislav Csémy and Zsuzsanna Elekes; The perception of the drug problem and opinions on national policies: can we think beyond borders?, TÃ-nde Gyögy and Robert Sobiech; The division of labour between NGOs and governmental organizations, Renata Cvelbar Bek and Franti°ek David Krch; Are the differences in attitudes towards drugs related to different demand reduction structures and services?, Bojan Dekleva and Joanna Zamecka; Networks in drug demand reduction policy and practice, Patrick Kenis and Stefan Loos; Drug demand reduction institutions inventory sheet; List of contributors.