DGHRI Seminar Series: Global Perspectives on Addiction Medicine, The Swiss Drug Policy
In partnership with Africa and Middle East Congress on Addiction (AMECA), the Duluth Global Health Research Institute (DGHRI) presents its monthly seminar series.
Our June webinar titled, “Global Perspectives on Addiction Medicine: The Swiss Drug Policy and its Heroin Prescription Programs – How is it that a conservative country became so brave?” Presented by Daniele Zullino, MD, Head, Division of Addiction Psychiatry, Professor of Addiction, Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Switzerland.
Dr. Zullino will present a perspective on addiction medicine from Switzerland. Switzerland is known for a rather cautious-conservative attitude, socially and accordingly also politically. Nevertheless, since the 1990s, the country has managed to develop a progressive drug policy that is strongly supported by the population and includes, in particular, protected consumption rooms and heroin prescription programs.
This lecture will show, on the one hand, that a special crisis situation favored such a development, and on the other, that the special federalist political system, modeled on that of the U.S.A., also contributed to this development. In particular, however, the low-threshold access to opioid-assisted treatments should be emphasized here, which has so far allowed the Swiss healthcare system to be spared from a new opioid crisis.
This webinar will be hosted by Professor, Dr. Mustafa al'Absi and will be open to all. This seminar will be recorded.