Author(s):
Hooman Narenjiha(1), Roya Noori(1), Maziyar Ghiabi(2), Hamid-Reza Khoddami-Vishteh(1)
Keyword(s):
drug demand, reduction structures, country comparison
Administrative structure of drug demand reduction and the way in which involved organizations
interact with each other has been neglected by researchers, policy makers, and administrators at the
national level and even in international institutions in this field. Studying such structures in different
countries can reveal their attributes and features.
In this study, key experts from the addictive behavior department of St George’s University of London
and a group of Iranian specialists in the field of drug demand reduction first wrote on a sheet the
name of organizations that are in charge of drug demand reduction. Then, via teamwork, they drew the
connections between the organizations and compared the two charts to assess the relations between
the member organizations.
In total, 17 features of efficient structure were obtained as follow: multi-institutional nature,
collaborative inter-institutional activities, clear and relevant inter-institutional and intra-institutional
job description, the ability to share the experiences, virtual institutions activity, communitybased associations activity, mutual relationships, the existence of feedback sys-tems, evaluation,
changeability, the ability to collect data rapidly, being rooted in community, flexibility at the local and
regional levels, connection with research centers, updated policymaking, empowering the local level,
and seeking the maximum benefit and the minimum resources.
Recognizing the characteristics of substance related organizations in various countries could help
policy makers to improve drug demand reduction structures and to manage the wide-spread use of
psychoactive substances more effectively.