{"id":10641,"date":"2024-05-13T15:56:44","date_gmt":"2024-05-13T13:56:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/copolad.eu\/?p=10641"},"modified":"2024-11-12T17:07:55","modified_gmt":"2024-11-12T15:07:55","slug":"mexico-and-colombia-know-the-catalan-experience-in-harm-reduction-for-drug-consumption","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/copolad.eu\/en\/mexico-and-colombia-know-the-catalan-experience-in-harm-reduction-for-drug-consumption\/","title":{"rendered":"Mexico and Colombia visit the Catalan harm reduction services for drug consumption"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two delegations of drug policy specialists from Mexico and Colombia<\/b> visited Catalonia from May 6 to 10 to visit 10 pioneering harm reduction resources in Barcelona and its metropolitan area.<\/p>\n

Among the spaces, one of the two only rooms for injected and inhaled supervised consumption that exist in Spain (CAS Baluard<\/b>), a community place for women who suffer violence (Metzineres<\/b>) or the unit of the Hospital Cl\u00ednic<\/b>, pioneer in the treatment of HIV, and where, since 2010, was launched a program for the detection and monitoring of people who practice ‘chemsex<\/b>‘.<\/p>\n

The visit is part of the work that the COPOLAD III<\/b> Program, led by the FIIAPP, promotes to incorporate harm reduction associated with drug consumption as a part of the health and human rights approach. In this way, it accompanies Latin American and Caribbean countries in legal and operational changes to improve the health impact of drug policies.<\/p>\n

Currently, COPOLAD III supports the Ministry of Justice of Colombia<\/b> in a network of community-based harm reduction mechanisms in 5 cities with an incidence of injecting drug use; and the National Commission on Mental Health and Addictions (CONASAMA<\/b>) of Mexico to qualify comprehensive care and harm reduction services in relation to synthetic opioids (fentanyl and methamphetamines) and the access of the LGTBIQ+ population to treatment devices.<\/p>\n

There is evidence that they work<\/h3>\n

The internship began with a meeting at the Conselleria de Salut<\/b> of the Catalan Government, where the harm reduction approach in Catalonia and in the European Union was presented. After a welcoming speech by COPOLAD III<\/b> manager Borja Diaz, the Catalan government’s responsible for Addictions, HIV, STIs and Viral Hepatitis, Joan Colom<\/b>, explained the importance of \u201cputting people and human rights at the center from a public health perspective.\u201d \u201cThere is a lot of evidence that harm reduction works and that it does not attract new consumers, but it requires broad citizen consensus. In addition, it is essential that it be accompanied by a universal health service and a community dimension,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/b><\/p>\n

In her turn, Iciar Indave, EMCCDA<\/b> specialist, presented an overview of the existing spaces in Europe, with Germany and Catalonia at the top, and the most relevant data from the Drug Report 2023<\/a> on existing and necessary resources, investment, substances or new risk behaviors.<\/p>\n

Ten pioneering harm reduction initiatives<\/h3>\n

The internship, coordinated in collaboration with Episteme<\/b>, Generalitat de Catalunya and Ag\u00e8ncia de Salut P\u00fablica de Barcelona, included the exchange of expertise with 10 harm reduction resources connected with the programs that Mexico and Colombia are carrying out with the support of COPOLAD III. In each of them, professionals explained their protocols, services, care guidelines, information management or management of critical situations, among other aspects.<\/p>\n