A Holistic Approach to Prevent Drug Misuse: Strategies and Framework for Comprehensive Support

Drug misuse poses a significant public health challenge, impacting individuals, families and communities. Addressing this issue requires the implementation of a comprehensive drug misuse prevention system that employs various strategies and approaches aimed at curbing drug misuse and addiction. By adopting a multifaceted approach to preventing drug misuse, we can effectively reduce the incidence of drug addiction and enhance the overall health and well-being of individuals and communities. The existing prescription chain, which involves multiple actors between the drug manufacturer and the end-user, currently lacks a unified system for tracking and documenting these transactions. Integrating these actors into a coherent system can be a complex task, and the previous system's lack of transparency exacerbates the challenge. To address this issue and promote transparency, there are several key steps that can be taken. These include closely monitoring the actions of the parties involved, authorizing actors before they participate in transactions, and leveraging digital prescription processes to streamline usage and facilitate real-time verification of ongoing transactions. Additionally, it's essential to ensure that patients with limited resources and access to services can easily become part of the system without significant effort, possibly by utilizing existing credentials like Aadhaar. Furthermore, the production and shipment stages of the drug supply chain are vulnerable to violations, making their inclusion in our system imperative to ensure security and reliability. The proposed system focuses on the prescription drug domain while prioritizing the privacy and security of all involved parties.