And it actually seems to be developing more among individuals than among companies. To fully utilize its capabilities, this volume, in its second substantive chapter, outlines the possibilities of the Internet in creating discussion lists, interactive informational and testing instruments, counseling options, and mass media campaigns. Videoconferencing efforts are primarily on the planning board. Phone services are, on the other hand, currently so readily available that they seem far from the futuristic world of prevention that this volume presents. Some of the conclusions of this volume, in keeping with its content, seem more forward-looking than others.
Internet sites tend to reflect specific individual, organizational, and cultural biases.
It seems evident that careful localisation is necessary for some content types, notably for factual information on drugs and drug use. The Prevnet Euro group is to be applauded for imagining and designing drug and alcohol services in a new world of Internet and related media. On the other hand, the same issues of the role of drugs and alcohol in society and the rights and obligations of the state to intrude on an individual's consumption of these substances will continue to stimulate discussion and disagreement. Thus, whether the Internet and other interactive media will prompt or prevent drug use, will assist individuals in intelligent self-regulation of their substance use, and will accompany improved overall public health remain questions future generations are still likely to be grappling with.