Public Health

Geno, pls. research on TC and public health issues

“Surely there must be something more to life than treating patients, writing prescriptions,

ordering diagnostic tests and doing surgery?”

Why Public Health?

• Opiates – 0.05% (2005)• Cocaine – <0.01% (2005)• Cannabis – 0.08% (2008)• Amphetamine – 2.1%

(2008)

UN World Drug Report, 2010

• Opiates – 30,000• Cocaine – 6,000• Cannabis – 47,000• Amphetamine – 1,234,743• Treatment – 3,000

NSO Population Data, 2010

Ounce of Prevention

• Many treatment programs are expensive, labor-intensive and plagued by high rates of recidivism (Botvin & Griffin, 2005)

Therapeutic Community

• Dropout 50% within the first 30 days. • Some studies show that of those who stay

beyond the first month, approximately 60% of residents complete TC programs, 1/3 of those graduates will relapse to drug use.

Gibbons, Anderson and Garm, THE THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITYTREATMENT MODEL: OVERVIEW AND ANALYSIS OF KEYTHEMES AND ISSUES 2002

Demand

• “Does drug education work?”• Yes1.Timing and Programming Considerations –

(timing, needs, goals, booster sessions)2.Content and Delivery – (Social Influence,

interactive, focus on behavior change, single drug focus, peer interaction)

Vinluan, 2009. History of Preventive Drug Education

Demand

3. Skills of teacher4. Dissermination – (Marketing and Cost)

What’s the other item in the curve?

• Supply. • In Singapore, long term imprisonment, caning

and capital punishment.• Heroin – 2 grammes vs 10 grams• Cocaine – 3 grammes vs 10 grams• Meth – 25 grammes vs 50 grams• Cannabis – 30 grammes vs 500 grams

Misuse of Drugs Act 1998 revisedRA 9165 2001