National Drug Observatories
Generating empirical evidence to design better policies
The complexity of current drug-related challenges requires well-oriented and effective public policies. Scientific knowledge is key to achieving this.
COPOLAD III actively supports the National Drug Observatories (NDO) in 14 Latin American and Caribbean countries, strengthening their institutional and technical role as bridges between science and policy, to promote evidence-based public decision-making.
Results
Strenghtening of national systems and regional networks for scientific research on drugs
Development of Early Warning Systems (EWS)
- 4 methodological guides to strengthen NDO in research, national agendas, gender perspective and human-rights-based approaches.
- 6 countries establish and strengthen national research networks (Cuba, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela).
- 4 countries adopt National Scientific Research Agendas on Drugs (Mexico, Panama, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago).
- 4 Observatories articulate their Scientific Advisory Committees (Panama, Dominican Republic, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago).
- 7 NDO reinforce the integration of gender and human-rights perspectives into their information and research systems (Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Suriname and Venezuela).
- Cuba creates its National Drug Observatory, based on 3 networks: information, scientific research and early warning.
At national level:
- Cuba: Design and launch of an Early Warning System (EWS).
- Argentina, Chile, Uruguay: Development of wastewater analysis protocols to identify the presence of synthetic and other hard-to-trace drugs.
- Perú: Launch of an innovation laboratory to activate an Early Warning System (EWS) in the Flor de Ucayali community, aimed at protecting indigenous peoples in territories affected by drug trafficking.
At regional level:
Two high-value reports were produced (and shared with CARICOM IMPACS):
- Report on chemical concealment of cocaine.
- Mapping of forensic capacities in 19 Latin American and Caribbean countries.
Support for systems to monitor and evaluate drug policies
- Guide for Evaluative Analysis of Drug Policies, with a human-rights, gender and sustainable-development approach, validated in Costa Rica and Uruguay.
- Uruguay: Evaluation of drug policies in care and treatment, risk management and harm reduction, and market regulation. Includes a study on the direct costs that drug policies generate for the State. Methodological tools were also provided to support cannabis policy evaluation.
- Costa Rica: Development of an integrated methodology to identify and analyse the real costs of implementing restorative-justice programmes, along with an evaluation design for the 2017–2025 period.
- At regional level: Update of the regional report Monitoring and Evaluation of Changes in Cannabis Policies, which compiles evidence of their impact (under publication).
Results
Strenghtening of national systems and regional networks for scientific research on drugs
- 4 methodological guides to strengthen NDO in research, national agendas, gender perspective and human-rights-based approaches.
- 6 countries establish and strengthen national research networks (Cuba, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela).
- 4 countries adopt National Scientific Research Agendas on Drugs (Mexico, Panama, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago).
- 4 Observatories articulate their Scientific Advisory Committees (Panama, Dominican Republic, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago).
- 7 NDO reinforce the integration of gender and human-rights perspectives into their information and research systems (Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Suriname and Venezuela).
- Cuba creates its National Drug Observatory, based on 3 networks: information, scientific research and early warning.
Development of Early Warning Systems (EWS)
At a national level:
- Cuba: Design and launch of an Early Warning System (EWS).
- Argentina, Chile, Uruguay: Development of wastewater analysis protocols to identify the presence of synthetic and other hard-to-trace drugs.
- Perú: Launch of an innovation laboratory to activate an Early Warning System (EWS) in the Flor de Ucayali community, aimed at protecting indigenous peoples in territories affected by drug trafficking.
At a regional level:
Two high-value reports were produced (and shared with CARICOM IMPACS):
- Report on chemical concealment of cocaine.
- Mapping of forensic capacities in 19 Latin American and Caribbean countries.
Support for systems to monitor and evaluate drug policies
- Guide for Evaluative Analysis of Drug Policies, with a human-rights, gender and sustainable-development approach, validated in Costa Rica and Uruguay.
- Uruguay: Evaluation of drug policies in care and treatment, risk management and harm reduction, and market regulation. Includes a study on the direct costs that drug policies generate for the State. Methodological tools were also provided to support cannabis policy evaluation.
- Costa Rica: Development of an integrated methodology to identify and analyse the real costs of implementing restorative-justice programmes, along with an evaluation design for the 2017–2025 period.
- At regional level: Update of the regional report Monitoring and Evaluation of Changes in Cannabis Policies, which compiles evidence of their impact (under publication).
Communication
Implementing partners
