Guidance for Police Response to Drug-Related Mental Health Crises

ISSUP Argentina cordially invites you to participate in its webinar on Guide for Police Response in Mental Health Crises Related to Drug Use.

Date: Tuesday, October 21, 2025

Time: 12:00 PM Argentina Time

Register for the webinar

This proposal focuses on developing clear criteria to guide police in assessing situations involving individuals intoxicated by drugs. The criteria cover clinical risks, situational factors, and interaction dynamics.

In addition, it establishes step-by-step procedures, with an emphasis on the use of verbal de-escalation strategies and, only when necessary, on the safe application of physical restraint.

Target audience:

• The webinar is aimed at health professionals of medical emergency devices on public roads and in hospital wards, territorial work teams of community intervention devices, political decision-makers of local governments and police personnel, in all their hierarchies and functions.

Learning outcomes:

Participants attending the seminar are expected to be able to:

• Describe the scope of the problem, including the frequency of its occurrence and the severity of its consequences, both from a legal perspective and in terms of physical integrity.

• Apply the basic framework of situational analysis and intervention designed for police personnel.

• Interpret police intervention as an essential link within the broader continuum of care.

References:

• Russo, D. (2024). Forcibly care. On police intervention with people intoxicated by drug use (corrected and augmented edition). Community Health Collection. Remedios de Escalada, Argentina: Edunla, Editorial de la Universidad Nacional de Lanús.

• Russo, D. (2017). Police intervention in intoxicated subjects (pp. 292–299). In P. González (Ed.), Un libro sobre drogas. Buenos Aires, Argentina: El Gato y la Caja.

• Ministry of National Security. (2023). Good practices in police intervention with people in a situation of mental health crisis and/or with problematic consumption in public space (1st ed.). Training in Safety Collection. Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina: Ministry of National Security.

• Regulatory framework

• National Mental Health Law No. 26,657. Official Gazette of the Argentine Republic, 03/12/2010.

• Regulatory Decree No. 603/2013. National Executive Branch, 05/29/2013.

• Resolution No. 843/2022. Intervention guidelines for police and security forces. Ministry of National Security. Official Gazette of the Argentine Republic, 15/12/2022.

Presenter:

Daniel Alejandro Russo

PhD in Community Mental Health, from the National University of Lanús (UNLa). Psychologist, Specialist in Education.

Director of the Citizen Security career (UNLa).

Associate Professor in the Department of Planning and Public Policy (UNLa). Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Buenos Aires (UBA). Professor in the Master's Degree in Community Health (UNLa). Member of the Free and Interdisciplinary Chair for the Adequate Care of Consumers of Psychoactive Substances (UNSaM). Director of research at UNLa and UBA.

Author of the book Cuidar a la fuerza (La Docta Ignorancia, 2020 and Edunla, 2024). He participated in various collective publications on issues associated with drugs, public health and security.

He served as national director of Training on Addictions at SEDRONAR (2012/13), academic coordinator of the training of the Police Prevention Units of the Municipality of Lanús (2014/15) and of the Buenos Aires 2 Police (2004/08). Teacher at the Cadet School of the Argentine Federal Police (2015/24).

Opening remarks:

Jimena Kalawski

Since 1997, Jimena Kalawski has worked in the field of consumption in different contexts. As director of several treatment programs, she subsequently developed and implemented community outreach programs, as well as individual and family psychotherapy. With a Master's Degree in Drug Dependence, Jimena was Head of the Programming Division of the National Service for the Prevention and Rehabilitation of Drug and Alcohol Consumption (SENDA) of Chile. Since June 1, 2019, Jimena has served as Chief of the Demand Reduction Unit of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) of the Organization of American States (OAS).  

Moderator:

Dr. Nicolas Poliansky

Moderator.

Psychologist. Researcher. Director of the National Chapter of ISSUP Argentina.

Webinars and online events presented and hosted by the International Society of Substance Use Professionals (ISSUP) are provided for informational purposes only. They are educational in nature and do not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.