UNITE held the newest edition of the Let’s Talk Health series for the Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Chapter, focusing on current challenges and responses related to synthetic drugs and the unregulated market in the region.

Parliamentarians and advisors from Peru, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Argentina presented several legislative and policy initiatives, particularly on the use of Early Warning Systems to issue public health alerts about new substances emerging on markets, as well as the need for a paradigm shift towards health and human rights-focused approaches to drugs.

Civil society organization Proyecto Soma was also represented at the discussion, sharing lessons learned from their work conducting drug testing services in communities. Parliamentarians and their staff from all over the region joined the call and debated for this enriching debate. This shows a strong momentum towards focusing more broadly on a public health response to drug-related challenges.