Following a special wish of Pope Francis, the Pontifical Academies of Sciences is organizing a two-day Workshop on Narcotics: Problems and Solutions of this Global Issue on 23-24 November 2016. The current system to be examined presents numerous aspects: the history of drug use from a cultural and geopolitical point of view, the different types of substances, the centres of production and distribution and consumer typologies. Particular attention will be devoted to prevention of substance abuse related to children and young people.
Today, substance abuse problems are undeniably topical, since drugs are one of the scourges of our globalised world, despite the enormous resources employed all over the world to fight drug trafficking and production. Our workshop intends to focus specifically on the scientific aspect, presenting the consequences of substance abuse (both soft and hard drugs) on our bodies and brains, as well as the potential medical uses of certain drugs for specific diseases and disorders. Other aspects that will be discussed include the illicit and relatively easy production of drugs (in cities, slums, and in the countryside); strategies that fight the conditions fostering the use of drugs; exploitation of young children in criminal organizations that distribute narcotics; and effects of soft drugs legalization on our society.
Leading professionals, scientists, experts, medical doctors, researchers, practitioners, members of civil society, judges and our Academicians are invited by the PAS to examine and discuss possible innovative socio-political solutions to these drug-related issues.