Editorial: Local prevention of drug addictions

The editorial focusses on identifying and setting forth the main functions of councils in local\r\npolicy on prevention of drug addictions. The municipal authority should on one hand provide\r\nthe appropriate framework for the different public and private initiatives connected with\r\nprevention to be implemented in its territory and on the other the municipal prevention policy\r\nalso has to be coordinated with other strategies such as social welfare, health promotion,\r\ncoexistence and safety.\r\nThe council must furthermore guarantee certain minimums: knowing the real situation of\r\nthe area with its problems and resources, with its social demands and institutional responses;\r\nfacilitating coordination and cooperation in its area; expediting the participation of all the agents\r\ninvolved; monitoring compliance of municipal and non-municipal programmes applied in its\r\nmunicipal area; adapting the evaluation to the objectives and needs of local policy.