EMCDDA participates in Latin American regional meeting on early warning systems

This week, the EMCDDA participated in a meeting 'Early warning systems in response to opioids and new psychoactive substances', organised by the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) of the Organisation of American States (OIS) and the Canadian authorities (¹). The agency participated remotely in the event, which was held in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago (7-8 December).

The meeting looked at the importance of early warning systems in responding to NPS and other emerging drugs, as well as the objectives, characteristics and differences between an EWS and a drug information network. Also discussed was the role of forensic laboratories in such systems.

EMCDDA experts participated in a panel discussion on national and regional early warning systems (EWS). The EMCDDA showcased the EU EWS on new psychoactive substances, including its legal basis, composition and organisation and lessons learnt over its 25 years of existence.

The EMCDDA participated in the meeting as part of its COPOLAD III activities. The COPOLAD III project promotes dialogue and bi-regional cooperation on drug policy between the EU and Latin American and Caribbean countries.The project will help strengthen the technical capacity and institutional role of National Drug Observatories (NDO), including national EWS.

The COPOLAD III taskforce coordinator for strengthening NDO took part in a panel discussion dedicated to practical guides and documents for the implementation of EWS on drugs. Working groups drafted plans to implement or strengthen EWS in different countries.