“Treatment policy” as a concept is not readily transferrable from the developed to the developing world, despite increasing efforts of wealthy nations to engage in “International demand reduction”. In contrast, within societies with sufficient cultural and economic resources to support addiction treatment, particularly policies can enhance both the quantity and quality of care systems. A critical question in this area is whether a policy of greatly expanding treatment, such as has been done in France and the U.K., can achieve a “tipping point” of broad public health and safety benefit. Even if quantity of care is expanded, quality issues are likely to remain an enduring concern, but can be addressed by a carefully crafted combination of regulatory and market-oriented policies.
The future of drug treatment policy internationally
First published: 10 May 2019 | Last updated: 10 June 2019
