Information needs for policy-making — implications for monitoring and science. National perspective. Piotr Jabłoński National Bureau for Drug Prevention

Information needs for policy-making — implications for monitoring and

science. National perspective.

Piotr Jabłoński National Bureau for Drug Prevention Poland

“Identifying Europe’s Information needs for effective drug policy”

EMCDDA, 6 – 8 May, Lisbon

Piotr Jabłoński, National Bureau for Drug Prevention Poland

Contents:

Legal grounds and the information system on drugs and drug addiction in Poland

Monitoring of National Programme and its evaluation

Limitations and achievements in the information system and taking effective informed measures.

Challenges and expectations in monitoring and evaluation


Drug prevention legislation in Poland

Acts of Law of 1997 and 2005 on counteracting drug addiction.

(Reitox National Focal Point, Provincial Experts) National Programmes for Counteracting Drug

Addiction 1999 – 2001, 2002-2005, 2006 – 2010. (Monitoring at provincial and local levels)

Acts to establish the Council for Counteracting Drug Addiction (Team for monitoring the implementation of the NPCDA)

Two most recent programmes prepared to perform evaluation: indicators, sources of indicators

We still see a need for further improvement of the National Programme in order to better prepare the strategy for the purposes of evaluation.


Reducing drug use and drug-related social and health problems

Reducing drug use and drug-related social and health problems

Prevention:

Stemming growth in drug demand

3 specific objectives

Treatment,rehabilitation

and harm reduction:

Improvement of health condition

and social functioning of drug addicts and persons using drugs in a harmful way


International cooperation:

Supporting implementation

of national programme through shaping

international policy


Research, monitoring

and evaluation:

Information support for implementation

of national programme for counteracting

drug addiction


Supply reduction:

Reducing availability

of drugs


2006 - 2010

National Programme in line with European Strategy


Information system on drugs and drug addiction in Poland :

Reitox National Focal Point (established by National Bureau for Drug Prevention) cooperates with the following:• Research and Development Institutes (Institute of

Psychiatry and Neurology; National Institute of Hygiene)• Central Institutions (Police Headquarters; Main

Pharmaceutical Inspectorate)• Network of provincial experts (16 regions)• Network of local monitoring (under construction –

approx. 40 communes). Main task of NFP is to formulate conclusions and

recommendations for practising professionals and authorities.


Network of provincial experts

Constant cooperation with NFP since 2001 Annually 16 reports featuring conclusions and

recommendations for regional authorities Support for NFP in collecting data from communes on

implementation of NPCDA. New task – development of the local monitoring

network


Evaluation based on annual monitoring of NPCDA implementation

• Data collected from approx. 30 central institutions and over 2 500 communes and provincial offices.

• Materials collected are analyzed and effects of monitoring are presented in the form of NPCDA implementation report

• Consequently we obtain information on progress in specific programme activities and objectives

• Crucial component of monitoring is collecting information on the cost of Programme implementation


Number of communes under Communal Programmes for Counteracting Drug Addiction or those which included

drug addiction in local strategies for solving social

problems in 2003-2007.

449 471819

1792

2019

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007


„Our job is not dictate drug policy but to provide the evidence necessary for informed decision-making” Wolfgang Goetz; EMCDDA Director


John Maynard Keynes: „There is nothing a government hates more than to be well informed; for it makes the process of arriving at decisions much more complicated and difficult (...)”.


Policy vs. practice

Reports, research and analyses do not always meet expectations of politicians, who expect clear answers to seemingly simple questions.

Basic question concerns effectiveness of measures taken, namely what the policy in effect brings about and what is the ratio of investment to output.


Needs and time perspectives

Researchers work on obtaining objective and analytic knowledge. The analysis is based on reliable measurements viewed from long-term perspective.

Political domain is mainly concentrated on ad hoc needs in a short-term perspective


Communication

Research communication is based on open and objective language

Political communication calls for synthesis and simplifications

Research aims at comprehensive analysis of the phenomenon and its consequences

Politics aims at making decisions and taking action

It is necessary to find common communication platform


Difficulties and obstacles Despite two editions of cost estimation projects, (2003 &

2007), evaluations and annual monitoring under NPCDA we are still looking for an answer to the question about effectiveness of the policy in place.

Evaluation still poses a challenge: • Information deficits• No political backup• Insufficient resources (methodology, experts)• Translation of results into clear message for the world

of politics


NPCDA expenditure in 2003 – 2007 (PLN)

127,46131,15 141,81164,10

1,20

7748,44

128,41

156,33

135,06

0,00

50,00

100,00

150,00

200,00

250,00

300,00

350,00

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Mil

ion

y

demand-relatedexpendituresupply-relatedexpenditure


National strategy vs. evaluation

Numerical indicators of activities in progress and objectives achieved

Clear relationship between general objectives, specific objectives and activities.

Providing sources of indicators, which will result in quality data


Problem: Drug use

Tolerance for drug use in society

Drug use – minor problem of organized crime of small group of addicted persons

Reduced public condemnation of using soft drugs

Public visibility of proposals to legalize soft drugs

Information on drug use in public figures and circles

Media picture – focus on drug supply reduction

Close friends use drugs

Drug use in schools, universities, workplace, public places

Lower prices of drugs

Higher drug purchasing capacity

Declared willingness to use drugs

No condemnation of drug use by others

Engaging in risky behaviour (alcohol, cigarettes, violence)

)

Low assessment of drug related-risk

No knowledge of drugs and consequences of useing them

No assertiveness in contact with drugs

No skills of

Establishing and keeping contacts

Cooperating in a group

Solving conflicts

Critical thinking

Making decisions

Coping with stress

Planning future

Deficiencies of life and social skills

Low self-esteem

Disrupted family relations

Unfriendly school

Disintegrated , passive local community

School failures

Disobeying school rules

No attachment to school

Being not sure of getting help from school

Disrupted communication between pupils and teachers

No parents’ interest in child’s matters

No communicative skills of family members

No conflict-solving skills

unclear family rules

No parents’ faith in child’s abilities

Low activity of youth

No attractive forms of spending leaisure time

No interests in pro-school and pro-youth actions

No cooperation of young people with adults

Problem tree – risk factor areas


Implementing a system for training staff providing treatment, rehabilitation

and programmes or reducing

damage to health

Increasing the availability of services for the treatment, rehabilitation and reducing damage to health by developing specialist centres

and programmes

Drawing up standards for providing treatment, procedures

or rehabilitation and a programme for reducing

amage to health

improve the quality of treatment,

rehabilitation and activities to reduce damage to health

Drawing up and implementing programmes to evaluate

the services provided for treatment, rehabilitation

and reducing damage to health

maintaining an improved state of health in those

people subject to treatment and rehabilitation.

Supporting the development

of professional programmes

for preventing

drug dependency

addressed to specific

target groups,

Increasing

the number

of competent

people

conducting preventive

measures

Improving people’s knowledge on the psychosocial conditions

for drug dependency and effective strategies

for taking preventive measures Increasing knowledge among the

local community about problems relating to the use of psychotropic substances and

the possibility of taking preventive measures

Increasing thelocal community’s

participation in preventing the use of psychoactive

substances

Checking the increase in

the domestic manufacture of

illegal synthetic drugs

and drugs manufactured

from natural raw materials

. Limiting

the accessibility

of drugs

to individual users

Improved

cooperation

between

specific services

Monitoring

the expenses

of particular services

in respect

of counteracting

drug-related crime

Checking the increase

in drug smuggling

on the internal market

Strengthening financial

control over

the narcobusiness

Limiting

the accessibility

of drugs reducing the growth

rate in the demand for drugs

reducing the speed

at which the crime rate

connected with the use

of drugs is rising;

reducing the speed

at which

the use of drugs

is spreading

limiting HIV and HCV infections

and other diseases

connected

with the use of drugs;

reducing the mortality rate

from the use of drugs;

Reducing the use of drugs and drug-related problems


Percentages of positive answers to the questions about smoking cigarettes (regularly and occasionally), drinking beer, wine and other strong alcohols in the last month prior to study and using any drugs in the last 12 months.

1992 1994 1996 1999 2003 20080%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

cigarettes

beer

wine

vodka

drugs

CBOS

Prevalence of substance use in school population


Percentages of pupils aged 17-18 who have used a specific substance at least once in their lifetimes

3,5

36,7

15,4

19

6,87,8

2,7 2,5 1,7

4,2 3,5

0,60,8

17,1

20,8

4,02,72,8

7,9

0,6

5,4

2,62,7

6,8

1,8

10,5

22,420,8

3,5

20,1

5,8

2,22,4

4,26,3

27,9

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Tra

nq

uili

zers

or

slee

pin

gp

ills

Can

nab

is

Inh

alan

ts

Am

ph

etam

ine

LS

D

Co

cain

e

Her

oin

Ecs

tasy

An

abo

licst

ero

ids

1995 1999 2003 2007

ESPAD


New HIV infections, including IDUs in 1999-2007 by date of registration (data of National Institute of Public Health – National Institute of Hygiene)

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

IDUs All


Summary:

Positive changes on the Polish drug scene, which we relate to NPCDA implementation

Wide spectrum of data collected is a clear success of European and national monitoring systems

Need for analyses integrating data from various sources, i.e. measures to reduce both drug demand and supply

Conclusions and recommendations should meet the expectations of the world of politics but also support practising professionals and researchers.

Work over the methodology of evaluation and assessment of the effectiveness of activities in place is a challenge for the future and international and interagency cooperation.

Documents

Information needs for policy-making — implications for monitoring and science. National perspective. Piotr Jabłoński National Bureau for Drug Prevention