title: [Colombia: out of the eye of the hurricane, but still close].
abstract: Colombia is not the same country of the 80s and 90s of last century. The big drug cartels disappeared, but their heirs diversified their activities, created alliances with guerrillas and paramilitaries, and increased the number of minors associated with criminal behaviours. The country has not been systematic in its drug abuse data collection, and there is a remarkable imbalance in the investments made on drug supply and drug demand: 98% and 2%, respectively. However, the official reports assert that there are at least 300,000 people in need of treatment. Regarding drug abuse, Colombia is in the "middle range" in Latin America, together with Peru and Mexico; Chile, Argentina and Uruguay are above them, and Ecuador and Bolivia below. Drug consumption was decriminalized in 1994, and the implication was that those involved in drug abuse problems had to find their way out by themselves; this implication contributed to the poor development of the state treatment system. In spite of a new law imposing the obligation of free treatment to everyone asking for it, the health system is on the border of collapse and won't be able to face those requirements.
authors.forename: Augusto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pérez Gómez
mesh_terms: D003105:Colombia / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007880:Legislation, Drug; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control