Stronger Together
The Prevent Alliance is a public-private partnership dedicated to preventing the abuse of digital platforms for illicit and harmful activities related to the non-medical use of synthetic drugs and increasing public awareness
42%
Of Americans know someone who has died of an opioid overdose.1
80,719
Americans died from a drug overdose in 2024.2
64 million
People globally suffered from drug use disorders in 2023, but only 1 in 12 people are in treatment.3
About the Alliance and their Members
The Alliance to Prevent Drug Harms (“Prevent Alliance”) brings together the tech industry, the U.S. Department of State, and UNODC to stop the misuse of digital platforms for illegal activities related to synthetic drugs and raise public awareness about the dangers of synthetic drug misuse.
Tech platforms and services, such as social media, search engines, texting apps, and e-commerce/payment platforms, can be misused for illegal activities, including synthetic drug misuse and selling equipment for illicit manufacturing. The Prevent Alliance will fight these illegal activities by developing and sharing best practices, raising awareness, and providing education.
The focus will be on protecting and saving lives through evidence-based practices, proactive education, and measures to disrupt online illicit drug activities.
Prevent Alliance will:
- Create a voluntary framework for cooperation to share best practices to combat online illicit activities.
- Promote awareness, education, and supportive communities to prevent synthetic drug misuse.
- Collaborate with governments, media, civil society, tech companies, and industry associations to share best practices on overdose prevention and treatment support.
United Nations Involvement
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is the leading entity within the United Nations for addressing the world drug problem, thus playing a key role in promoting security and public health. UNODC is an observer to the Prevent Alliance and provides technical assistance and coordination to the implementation of its activities.
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“Evidence-based prevention is key to responding to the drug use situation globally, especially in a rapidly digitalized world. Social media nowadays carries an important influence on the individual. To harness this influence positively, science can help.”
Delphine Schantz
UNODC New York Office
Articles, Documents and Resources
What does joining the Alliance mean?
Members demonstrate values stated in the Voluntary Framework for Cooperation and participate in periodic meetings to share best practices and intelligence on drug trends, patterns, and resources.
