The first Island Plan on Addictions 2014-2018 of the island of Lanzarote pays special attention to the population sector of young people and women and also includes care programs for new addictions detected in recent years. The Minister of Social Welfare, Marciano Acuña, presented the document this Tuesday, in an event in which the delegate of the National Action Plan on Drugs, Francisco de Asís Babín, and the general director of Public Health of the Government of the Canary Islands, José Díaz Flores, also participated.
The counselor has assured that this plan will be "pioneering" in the Canary Islands in terms of attention to addictions to new technologies, gambling addictions, drugs, in addition to other drugs and problems derived from the consumption of substances such as alcohol or cannabis. "It represents a further step to continue adapting this island network to the new realities detected in recent years," Acuña pointed out.
This plan, which has been worked on for nearly a year, was approved in plenary on March 28 and had the support of all political forces. The document has been prepared in collaboration with the Drug Addiction Care service of the General Directorate of Public Health.
Through this program, actions are offered aimed at the entire community in general, as well as groups that are in a "situation of greater risk" such as adolescents, young people or groups in situations of social exclusion. It is structured on three axes of work such as information and training; prevention and early detection and assistance and social integration.
The plan is "extensive in terms of the substances that are considered drugs in it" so it is intended to prevent and reduce the consumption of both so-called "legal drugs" and "illegal drugs". The plan highlights the importance of "health promotion" and "healthy lifestyle habits as the best strategy for preventing addictions".
1,020 people were treated in 2013
The counselor has also provided data from the drug addiction network and the Care Center managed by the Cabildo. During the year 2013 alone, a total of 1,020 people required "some attention" in Lanzarote in terms of drug addiction and addictions. This network began providing assistance in 1986 and "since then this service has not stopped being provided, later complemented with other units derived from the Canary Health Service and other services of the Cabildo", according to Acuña.
In this presentation, the counselor thanked the collaboration of all the entities involved, such as the island's institutions, the State Security Forces and Corps, the local police, NGOs and associations, the Cabildo's Center for Equality and Attention to Women, the Data Center, the Vice-Ministry of Education and, especially, the General Directorate of Public Health.
