The past, present, and future of drug abuse and its prevention in Spain

This article sets out the basic guidelines being applied in governmental and institutional action concerning drug trafficking and consumption in Spain. After a brief survey of the history of trafficking and consumption, and of government policy in this area, the current Spanish National Drugs Plan is described in detail. This ambitious project is of recent date, and it is still too early to attempt exhaustive evaluation of its results. However, a number of suggestions based on consideration of what has been achieved so far are made in the hope that they may serve to redirect future efforts to where they are most needed in this urgent field.