The EMCDDA is the agency that monitors drugs and drug treatment on the European scale which happens to be based right here in Lisbon, Portugal. Each year they gather information and statistics from all members states and advise the European Union about drug policy in terms of what works, what doesn’t and more.
While here in town I went over to their offices and sat down with Danilo Ballotta, Principal Policy Officer – Epidemiology, Crime, and Markets Unit, to ask him about what the agency does, what the biggest problem areas are for Europe, and what we know works when it comes to drug treatment. We also get into Portugal and how this country has managed to become a world leader in the area of drug treatment.