The ISSUP International Conference 2021 took place on 8th, 9th & 10th December.
The three-day event focused on deepening the understanding of what is meant by “evidence-based” and considered how the research on what constitutes an evidence-based approach can be transferred to the domain of practical application.
Effective prevention, treatment and recovery support interventions informed by strong research evidence consistently result in positive gains for individuals. Interventions should be supported by high quality research evidence and undertaken within a national and/or international framework of ethical and effective principles to guide all aspects of the work.
This principle is key to promoting effective action and practice of drug demand reduction. However, the transfer of theory into practice and applying research into practical action is an ongoing challenge.
Conference presentations took a case study approach, sharing practical examples of how research has been translated and applied to situations within particular ISSUP National Chapter countries.
An introductory session on the first day addressed what the term "evidence-based” means and its importance for the field of drug demand reduction.
The conference was held virtually as a live event due to ongoing pandemic restrictions, and participants joined and took part in Q&A sessions online.