Global health. The current scenario and future perspectives

223 Final reflections Public policies are interventions that, although they should be based on scientific foundations, generally yield long-term results. This is the first major problem because the time required in that direction clashes with political timelines, which are usually short-term. It is much more visible and demonstrative of concrete actions to send the police to intervene in a population for drug and weapon seizures than to analyze the causes of the phenomenon and act based on those findings. Therefore, it becomes urgent and necessary to move from discourse about “evidence-based public policies” to making that intention a reality. The development and implementation of public policies are not abstract or innocuous issues since ultimately they are interventions that impact people’s lives, so it is our duty to make every effort to reduce risks associated with such policies. It is this field that shows a great need that must be addressed by academia and particularly by Public Health institutions in countries. These needs can be channeled through different means, from forums and seminars to postgraduate programs. The concepts of scientific evidence and public health approach (closely linked indeed) must transcend administrative management as well as politics and become a matrix of thought, both conceptual and operational, for addressing social phenomena like these. Generating that much-needed bridge for both dimensions – politics and science – to have a space for sincere dialogue is urgent. Those who oversee decision-making processes must understand that using scientific evidence is the best way to reduce uncertainty about their actions. By following this path, we can be sure that we will have better responses beneficial to people. Politics and science must be allies and work together. This is the great challenge. References Ahmad, F., Cisewski, J., Rossen, L. & Sutton, P. (2022). Provisional drug overdose deathcounts. National Center for Health Statistics . CICAD. (n. d.). Emerging Drugs in The Americas: New Psychoactive Substances, including Synthetic Opioids. https://www.oas.org/ext/DesktopModules/MVC/OASDnnModules/Views /Item/Download.aspx?type=1&id=840&lang=1 ——— (2013). The Drug Problem in The Americas. Organization of American States, 2013.