“It is often a silent situation,” he noted, because there is little awareness or medical consultation regarding it, even though families are fully aware of the reality.

Rossi reported that currently, more than 370,000 Uruguayans consume alcohol problematically—a figure that highlights the magnitude of the challenge, according to the publication *La Mañana*.

Improving care related to problematic substance use—with a special focus on alcohol—is one of the administration’s priorities, Rossi pointed out. To this end, training for primary healthcare personnel will be implemented in August, aiming for the early detection of these issues within the general population.

The official also noted that 0.8 percent of the population is affected by the use of cocaine base paste, particularly among the homeless and the incarcerated.

Regarding cannabis, Rossi stated that while its use is not being downplayed, the regulated market has succeeded in reducing the share of the total market supplied by drug trafficking to six percent.

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