Addressing complex and very sad problems, such as those associated with the drug phenomenon in contexts of high social and institutional deterioration, can be overwhelming. It makes them even heavier to define them only in terms of drug trafficking, violence and insecurity. This is a waste of time if it is not recognized that the necessary condition for their occurrence is the increasing use of drugs.
Every consumer is part of the network that allows the great market to sustain itself. So, to give perspective and alleviate the burden of dealing with the social and health problems that this phenomenon generates, it is essential to start talking seriously regarding prevention (demand reduction).
An important chapter of it refers to connecting with those who have experienced or are experiencing this type of problem but with the desire to face them: it is very stimulating, since it operates as an anchor in a sea full of mirages, lies and more or less deliberate forgetfulness. An anchor that is an opportunity to advance on a path of improvement, health, resilience and dignity.
This path offers a broader perspective for new questions and possibilities for a comprehensive approach, and is appreciable in institutions that work with multidimensional approaches, such as Fundación ProSalud.
By accepting the interdependence between drug use and trade, we will be able to question some of the arguments that are hindering this multidimensional perspective and facilitate realistic diagnoses and effective interventions.
The reductionist arguments that have been circulating for some years seek to install the binomial “with a war once morest drugs (reducing supply)” versus “without a war once morest drugs”, deeming the first option useless, to conclude that with the second -facilitating the circulation and teaching how to consume them- would solve the problem.
This old binary approach consolidated a fragmentary analysis that displaced or canceled debates still pending on the health (non-war) axis and other fundamental ones, such as: what do people who are undergoing treatment or who were able to overcome their dependence on drug use think; what neurosciences contribute to stimulate healthy practices in an innovative way; how to strengthen public health processes that include the right of children to grow up in healthy contexts; how the market affects the decision-making of government institutions; why the prevention and treatment of addictions should be a constitutive part of the comprehensive social assistance strategy, etc.
violence
It is necessary to open the analysis to these questions and also develop empathy with people who experience situations of violence that worsen daily.
Beyond the narrative surrounding the war on drugs, the evidence shows a growing war on drugs. Drugs that motivate violence between those who sell, produce, consume, and towards those who neither consume, nor sell, nor produce.
Analyzing these concepts separately lacks logical support. The multiple dimensions of this phenomenon are always interconnected and emerge from processes with initial stages that are usually imperceptible in their negative aspects.
Some examples: the father of a 16-year-old girl who uses marijuana and began to sell it at school to cover her consumption expenses, supported by the school, initiates a therapeutic approach that involves him. He expresses her commitment to accompany her, admitting that he himself had an acute dependence on drugs and even sold for many years. For the latter, aware of the risks involved, he regularly venerated a “saint” called “La Muerte”, among other “protection” rituals.
He assumes all the pain he went through at that stage of his life, including family breakups and prison, the concern for having been a bad example for his children. He now enjoys and thanks his current partner and the organization that helped him get ahead. He is sincere and critical, but also optimistic and willing to help, like everyone who has suffered and wishes the best for others.
Another of the areas where this violence and violated children’s rights are expressed is that of maternity hospitals: a young couple whose baby (third child) had to remain in intensive care at birth, and with the encouragement of the health team they take the first steps towards a process of healthy change that they always longed for, but did not know how to transit. They started using cocaine and marijuana at the age of 11 and 15, respectively.
Pregnancies, births and upbringing occurred under this seal, with unfavorable socio-sanitary results. Another type of violence.
There are numerous cases of these, hard life stories, but also loaded with the desire to improve and that are expressed to the extent that they find an environment that makes it possible to follow a new path. If they find it.
These are other drug wars that hurt the social fabric that expands with great effort thanks to values such as health, solidarity, love and work. Wars that would be unnecessary if the plot of benefits they feed also ceased to be validated and supported by the macrosystem.
Despite the violence and sadness, a broad approach also allows the recording of opportunities to be included. It is essential that they be taken into account, especially when the game of democracy invites innovation in terms of public policies.
* Director of the ProSalud Foundation; university teacher