Introduction:

The social complexity of problematic drug uses has generated the need to develop local diagnoses that foster the design of new strategies and proximity policies.

Objective:

To carry out a local diagnosis of health problems associated with drug use in Malvín Norte neighborhood, Montevideo.

Methods:

The Methodological Guide for the elaboration of local diagnoses was followed and there were carried out: documentary analysis, institutional reports, interviews, field observations, awareness workshops, a debate group, records of arrests related to drug use, surveys; and a workshop on preliminary results. For the analysis, an inter-method triangulation was performed, combining qualitative and quantitative methods.

Results:

An articulated set of socio-demographic, urbanistic, cultural and institutional data was obtained explaining various dimensions of the complex phenomenon of drugs in that neighborhood. It was also noted that the concerns of neighborhood´s social and institutional actors tend to focus on the problems associated with cocaine base paste´s consumption and that this fact neglects other serious problems such as problematic alcohol consumption and growing "psychiatrization" of an excessively high percentage of the school population in the area.

Conclusions:

A better understanding of the genesis of local problems related to drug use was achieved, thus suggesting lines of action and local policies that are more suitable for the effective coping with this problem in the area.

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