The International Prisoners Aid Association and drug abuse control

The International Prisoners Aid Association (IPAA) is concerned with the rehabilitation of offenders, including drug offenders. IPAA does not have the financial and human resources to establish working programmes for drug abuse control or for the treatment of drug-dependent persons. It does, however, contribute to efforts at the international level to combat the drug problem by supporting non-governmental agencies in different countries involved in the rehabilitation of drug-dependent persons and the prevention of drug abuse, by disseminating knowledge and information on current developments in the field among concerned members of the world community and by promoting and publishing cross-cultural research dealing with the drug problem at the preventive/control and treatment levels. IPAA has participated in international and regional conferences and seminars dealing with drug abuse, and numerous items on drug-related issues have been published in the IPAA Newsletter and in occasional reports. The present article provides a brief overview of the work of IPAA as it relates to drug control.