Prevention of Drug Use and Treatment of Drug Use Disorders in Rural Settings

Authors

John A. Gale MS, University of Southern Maine, Maine Rural Health Research CenterFollow

Document Type

Report

Publication Date

4-2017

Keywords

substance abuse, treatment, prevention, drug use disorders, MRHRC, substance use disorder

Abstract

This Guide on Prevention of Drug Use and Treatment of Drug Use Disorders in Rural Settings was prepared by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Drug Prevention and Health Branch (DHB), in the context of the global project Treatnet II: OFID-UNODC Programme to prevent HIV/AIDS through Treatnet Phase II, with the aim of providing an awareness-raising tool and guidance for policymakers, public health officials, local authorities and other stakeholders in dealing with substance use issues in rural settings in their respective countries. This Guide will serve as an awareness-raising tool and guidance for policymakers, public health officials, local authorities and other stakeholders in dealing with substance use issues in rural settings in their respective countries. It will “set the stage” for the identification, assessment, planning and implementation of both prevention interventions and policies, as well as interventions targeting rural drug users, by:

• Describing substance use problems in rural settings and factors contributing to them.
• Identifying tools that can be used to assess the scope of rural substance use in their countries.
• Describing evidence-based prevention, treatment and recovery strategies that can be implemented in rural areas.
• Providing examples of successful promising and evidence-based strategies implemented in diverse rural areas worldwide.

This Guide is intended to be shared widely with policymakers and other stakeholders concerned with the problems of substance use in rural settings. It provides an understanding of several key economic and social disparities driving rural substance use and the barriers to treatment experienced by rural people with substance use disorders.

Comments

John Gale was a consultant to the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, and contributed to the development of this report.

Funding Organization

United Nations

Recommended Citation

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Prevention of Drug Use and Treatment of Drug Use Disorders in Rural Areas. Vienna: UNODC;2017.