Management of substance abuse
This website contains information pertaining to psychoactive substance use and abuse, and also information about the World Health Organization's projects and activities in the areas of substance use and substance dependence.
WHO is the only agency dealing with all psychoactive substances, regardless of their legal status. WHO’s mandate in the area of psychoactive substance use includes:
- Prevention and reduction of the negative health and social consequences of psychoactive substance use;
- Reduction of the demand for non-medical use of psychoactive substances;
- Assessment of psychoactive substances so as to advise the United Nations with regard to their regulatory control.
Since its founding in 1948, WHO has played a leading role in supporting countries to prevent and reduce the problems due to psychoactive substance use, and in recommending which psychoactive substances should be regulated. In 2000, the Department of Substance Abuse was merged with the Department of Mental Health to form the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, reflecting the many common approaches of management of mental health and substance use disorders.
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Mental Health homepage
The Management of Substance Abuse Team (MSB) is one of three teams under the working umbrella of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse and the cluster of Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health.
The Management of Substance Abuse Team is concerned with the management of problems related to the use of all psychoactive substances. It emphasizes the development, testing and evaluation of cost-effective interventions for substance use disorders as well as the generation, compilation and dissemination of scientific information on substance use and dependence, their health and social consequences. It supports countries in advocacy and capacity building for the prevention and management of substance use disorders in all vulnerable groups . It seeks an integrated approach to all substance use problems within the health care system, in particular primary care.
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