INVEST Fellow Translates NIDA Publications Into Farsi

Upon reading NIDA’s popular publication, Drugs, Brains, and Behavior: The Science of Addiction, NIDA INVEST Drug Abuse Research Fellow Saeed Momtazi, M.D., Iran, knew it would be useful to others involved in the field of substance abuse and addiction in the region. The publication provides scientific information about the disease of drug addiction, including the many harmful consequences of drug abuse and the basic approaches that have been developed to prevent and treat the disease. The difficulty is that the publication is in English. So, Dr. Momtazi and his colleagues began a project to translate the publication, as well as several other NIDA materials, into their most common Persian language, Farsi. Once the translation is complete, the information will be available to the Persian drug abuse research community, just as it is to English-language scientists.

All of NIDA’s publications are in the public domain. That means that Dr. Momtazi and others interested in evidence-based drug abuse and addiction information can freely use the NIDA materials for their work and can reproduce them without first asking permission. NIDA simply asks that the Institute be cited as the source of the material.

In addition to The Science of Addiction, a wealth of information and downloadable publications are available on NIDA’s website. A sampling of other materials that may be of interest to the international research community include:

• Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment: A Research-Based Guide. Presents research-based principles of addiction treatment for a variety of drugs, including nicotine, alcohol, and illicit and prescription drugs, that can inform drug treatment programs and services. Dr. Momtazi and his colleagues also are translating this publication into Farsi.
• NIDA-Modified Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test or NMASSIST. Guides clinicians through a short series of screening questions and, based on the patient’s responses, generates a substance involvement score that suggests the level of intervention needed.
• Principles of HIV Prevention in Drug-Using Populations: A Research-Based Guide. Presents a set of scientifically based principles to prevent HIV in drug-using populations.
• Preventing Drug Use Among Children and Adolescents: A Research-Based Guide for Parents, Educators, and Community Leaders. Presents research-based drug abuse prevention principles, an overview of program planning, and critical first steps for those learning about prevention.