Brazil cracks down on crack

The bottom line in Brazil's approach to crack addiction is information. The Brazilian Government has launched a Webpage helping people to understand crack addiction by presenting objective data on the situation in the country, discussing different means of dealing with this scourge.

The website Facing Crack aims to gather a significant amount of information about the drug derived from cocaine. The idea is to disseminate knowledge and to guide both the user and families, institutions, public health professionals or anyone wanting to understand the matter in its various aspects, including the psychological and social vectors. The initiative also aims to disseminate best practices for dealing with the drug. The page has been hosted in Brazil Portal since late 2010.

The page is divided into sections A Drugs, Effects and Consequences, and Coping and Overcoming, where you can get information on the composition of crack, its action in the body, signs of addiction, myths and truths, physical, neurological and psychological; risk of consumption by pregnant women, social rehabilitation and stories of overcoming, among others.

There is also an area with frequently asked questions. Facing Crack also has videos and audios of interviews with experts talking about the best way of approaching the user or drug dependent and to help cope. The site has a news area, which aims to gather and to inform the public about the actions and policies on the development of crack and other drugs in Brazil. Also available, download the Deployment Kit, publications on crack and other drugs that can support institutions and professionals across the country in initiatives aimed at preventing and recovering users.

For the Deputy National Secretary of Policies on Drugs, Paulina Duarte, "we need to disseminate more knowledge on crack and its consequences. Only in this way can a qualified discussion on the topic in society take place, and we can implement effective measures to cope with this drug," she said.

The Integrated Plan to Combat Crack and Other Drugs - launched by the federal government in May 2010, will invest $410 million in shares of health, prevention of drug use, assistance and combat against trafficking throughout the country; the creation of 6,120 beds is planned for drug treatment in public hospitals, psychosocial care centers, shelters and therapeutic communities. Project selection occurs by edicts and the first results were published in Tackling Crack.

The actions also include the training of 65,000 professionals working in health and welfare, as counsellors, community and religious leaders, among others. The Plan conducts studies and diagnoses on the reality of crack in the country, the profile of users, health and care needs in networks of health services and social protection, in addition to the expansion of integrated actions among various government agencies. Integrated in the Plan are more than a dozen agencies and federal government institutions, judiciary and civil society.

Translated from the Portuguese version by:

Lisa Karpova

Pravda.Ru

http://www.brasil.gov.br/

Facing Crack

www.brasil.gov.br/enfrentandoocrack