The EU Drugs Strategy aims to create a balanced approach to supply, demand and harm reduction strategies. The project’s aim is to help support EU cities develop local, partnership based drug policies involving the relevant stakeholders – local authorities, health services criminal justice services, communities, including visible minority ones, and drug service users – so that a coordinated, participative, targeted, and thus resource effective approach can be developed towards drug-related problems.

In terms of supporting key community strategies on drugs and alcohol, the project supports good practice sharing; promotes integrative approaches across health determinants (alcohol and lifestyle) and urban safety; contributes to the reduction of health inequalities; addresses a gender perspective; targets specific settings such as nightlife; develops best practices to improve access to services for drug users; develops training for professionals.

The DC&D II project is based on 3 pillars: 1 EU wide experimental network of more than 16 partner cities; 4 national networks (FR, IT, PT, RO) involving 56 cities; 5 thematic work packages based on the findings of the 1st DC&D project. To support the development of an integrated drug policy among the partner cities and countries 5 European thematic exchange platforms open to the EU experimental network of cities and the 4 national networks of cities will be organised.
The exchange platforms will tackle: policies addressing the specific needs of women with drug misuse; - activities for health promotion in nightlife settings; integrated responses related to wandering young drugs users; outreach activities as regards drugs use and sexual infectious diseases; local policies improving access to treatment.

The project will support EU experimental network among the partner cities and four national networks of partner countries covering five themes: policies addressing specific needs of women with drug misuse; activities for health promotion in nightlife settings; integrated responses to wandering young drug users; outreach activities on drug use and sexual infectious diseases; and local policies improving access to treatment