Thank you very much, Neil, for starting this second week of the forum with the question of whether people are aware of the health and economic risks of opioid abuse.
As I've mentioned before, in Latin America, opioid use is not yet seen as a problem due to its low prevalence compared to other forms of substance use disorders.
The general population seems more concerned about media reports on the current opioid epidemic in the US and the fear that it will spread to our countries. Besides the fear that our young people may be affected by this use, the biggest underlying fear — also fueled by the media — is the issue of drug trafficking.
But I want to elaborate a bit on your comment regarding young people's perceptions of opioid use, especially concerning the risk of overdose for those who are not used to it or lack information.
It's difficult to find reliable Latin American information that would give me an idea of what's happening with our young people, but the limited information available is worrying. It points out that young Latin Americans have not a good understanding of the risks of opioids.
On the contrary, it suggests:
- Low level of specific knowledge
- Lack of structured education on the subject
- Limited risk perception compared to other substances. This constitutes a critical gap in prevention, especially relevant in a context where the region could face changes in the availability and use of opioids.
I hope other colleagues can help us discuss how to prepare for a potentially significant increase in consumption, how to prevent it, and above all, how to influence young people to prevent overdose deaths.
Kind regards,
Eduardo
Eduardo Bianco, MD, MSc, BIR
ATHP Director
Addiction Training for Health Professionals
Email: ebianco@nextgenu.org
HIFA profile: Eduardo Bianco is a medical doctor and Cardiologist, Certified Tobacco Cessation Expert with a Master's in Prevention and Treatment of Addictive Disorders. Bianco also has a degree in International Relations. Currently, he is Director of International Policy Education in Addictions of the Frank Foundation for International Health and Member of the Interim Policy Committee of the Global Alliance for Tobacco Control (GATC). He had a prominent role in promoting smoking cessation, tobacco control, WHO-FCTC implementation and NCD control in his country (Uruguay) as well as in Latin America for over 25 years. Bianco participated directly in most of the development process of the WHO-Framework Convention on Tobacco control and in the Sessions of the Conference of the Parties to this treaty. He was Director or Tobacco Control Program of InterAmerican Heart Foundation, Regional Coordinator for the Americas of the Framework Convention Alliance (FCA), Chair of the Tobacco Expert Group of the World Heart Federation and Technical Director of the MOH Center for International Cooperation for Tobacco as well as Founder and Former President of the Tobacco Epidemic Research Center (CIET) in Uruguay. Eduardo helps coordinate the HIFA working group on substance use disorders. https://www.hifa.org/support/members/eduardo