UNIVERSIDAD CATOLICA BOLIVIANA “SAN PABLO” – BOLIVIA

UNIVERSIDAD CATOLICA BOLIVIANA “SAN PABLO” – BOLIVIA
Local manager: Prof. Erik Fernandez Revollo
Psychologist, Master of Social Psychology and Psychological Research
Methods. Executive Director of the Interdisciplinary Centre of Community
Studies, CIEC.
Psychology Lecturer and Researcher at the Behavioural Science Research
Institute at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Universidad Católica Boliviana San
Pablo.
Specific features of Bolivia
Size: 1,038,000 km². Population: 10 million inhabitants. Diverse geography and climate. Government:
unitary social state of plurinational, community-based law. Democratic, participative, representative
and community-based.
Drug use and social policies
ü The main drugs consumed are legal drugs: alcohol and tobacco, followed by psychoactive
substances sold under a medical prescription. The illegal drugs most consumed are marijuana,
cocaine, cocaine base paste and inhalants. There is practically no consumption of synthetic drugs.
The consumption pattern is a mix of legal and illegal drugs, mainly alcohol, tobacco, marijuana
and cocaine. Consumption of cocaine base paste and inhalants is a concern due to the ease of
access and their low cost.
ü The Coca and Controlled Substances Act 1008 is still in force in Bolivia. A large percentage of
people are remanded in prison under this law. Due to the slow justice system, in around 70% of
cases they have not been convicted. This act does not envisage minimal amounts of possession for
personal use. It instead criminalises the possession of drugs for personal use and stipulates
treatment as the response. However, the health system is not in a position to respond accordingly.
Research: “Comprehensive study of public policies to reduce the demand for drugs in Bolivia;
implementation, practices and social perception.”
- Descriptive and qualitative study.
- Comprehensive analysis of drug consumption based on examining public drug policies and their
relevance, implementation, practices and perception of them in Bolivian society.
- Triangulation of primary and secondary sources.
Results
ü The Government is consciously shifting responsibility for reducing the demand for drugs on to
civil society.
ü The model followed in the struggle against drug trafficking focusses on reducing supply, mainly
of coca/cocaine.
ü The institutional response mainly comes from the non-governmental sector.
ü Civil society’s response to the requirements and demands arising from substance consumption,
prevention and treatment is mainly financed by international aid.
ü Prevention action has mainly been limited to the country’s most developed regions.
ü The perception is that there is not enough information to support and validate Government action
to reduce demand.
Recommendations
Redesigning drug demand reduction work in Bolivia by classifying, decentralising and breaking up
the reduction in drug supply; linking the institutional treatment response to public mental health
policies.
Bibliography:
CELIN, 2010, Consumo de Drogas en Bolivia 1992-2010 [Drug Consumption in Bolivia 1992-2010]
CIEC, 1996, El Panorama Actual de la prevención del Consumo de Drogas en Bolivia [The Current
Outlook for Preventing Drug Consumption in Bolivia]
CIENTIFICA CONSULTORA, Estudio epidemiológico andino sobre consumo de drogas en Bolivia,
1999 [Andean epidemiological study of drug consumption in Bolivia, 1999]
CONALTID, 2005, Plan de Acción de Reducción de la Demanda de Drogas 2005-2008 [Drug
Demand Reduction Action Plan 2005-2008]
Plan Dignidad - Documento Técnico [Dignity Plan - Technical Document], 1999
CONALTID. DROSICAN. 2009. Estudio cualitativo sobre el consumo de drogas sintéticas en grupos
de riesgo. Informe Bolivia, 2010. [Qualitative study of synthetic drug consumption among risk
groups. Bolivia Report, 2010]
Fernández E. 1996. La Prevención de los consumos de drogas en Bolivia [Prevention of drug
consumption in Bolivia] (Unpublished document)
Official Gazette of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Political Constitution of the State, 2009.
OAS 2000-2010. Evaluación del progreso de control de drogas 1999-2000 [Assessment of progress
with drug control 1999-2000]. Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD).
Multilateral Evaluation Mechanism (MEM). Group of Governmental Experts (GEG), Bolivia
UNODC, 2010, Informe Sub Regional Sobre el Uso de Drogas En Población Escolarizada 2009/2010
[Sub-regional Report on the Use of Drugs among School Children 2009/2010]