Ways to determine regional development of anti-drug activities based on trends using technological foresight

Anti-drug strategy at the national and regional levels requires a search for new approaches that answer the question: how to get a result in the future by determining the potential of the present. In the mechanisms of counteracting the drug business, in the field of drug use prevention in conjunction with the activities of participants in the implementation of the interdepartmental strategic direction, the development of (digital) technological foresight situations is of particular importance. The aim of the study is to present the predicted development of the drug situation in the region using foresight scenarios determined on the basis of identified trends for the development of practical measures for implementation established by strategic guidelines. The sub-goal was to analyze the drug situation data for the period from 2014 to 2024 based on the results of interdepartmental interaction of subjects of the drug prevention system in the region to form breakthrough points. The researchers concluded that foresight technologies are at the intersection of strategizing and forecasting, because they combine elements of long-term goal setting (strategy) and analysis of possible future scenarios (forecasting). Foresight technologies are a bridge between understanding (forecast) and designing the future (strategy), which allows you to proactively shape it, including the opinions of experts, citizens, and industries. According to the authors, the assessment of the results of interdepartmental interaction of subjects of the drug prevention system in the region will help determine breakthrough points for the formation of technological foresight. The use of the technology foresight methodology to analyze the processes of the anti-drug strategy in the region opens up prospects for the development of the situation using empirical validation, interdisciplinary cooperation to solve practical problems. The authors concluded that the integration of foresight into the interdepartmental anti-drug activities of the region, the country will allow identifying long-term trends and risks, choosing optimal and consensus response measures, and developing algorithms for action to approximate a specific scenario. In the long term, this sets the right guidelines for digitalization and the development of self-regulation processes, optimizes resources.