Pubdate: Tue, 27 Jun 2006
Source: Barbados Advocate (Barbados)
Copyright: Barbados Advocate 2006
Contact:  http://www.barbadosadvocate.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3499
Author: Patricia Thangaraj

DRUG FIGHT NOT A ONE-MAN JOB

IF the war against substance abuse is going to be won, then it should 
not just be left to one organisation or the Government, but a 
multistakeholder approach is needed.

This means that the private sector has to get involved in a number of 
areas. First, parents need to take charge of the situation and pay 
attention to their children. There is an area where parental 
guidance and family support has fallen short,said Attorney General 
Dale Marshall.

He added that employers must also see that they have a role to play 
in this fight as drug abuse is not just a problem for school 
children, but for adults as well and therefore, it can affect the 
productivity of the workforce. Accordingly, these groups must work 
with the National Council on Substance Abuse (NCSA).

Speaking to the media after a tour of NCSA headquarters yesterday, 
where an open day was held to recognise International Day against 
Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Trafficking, he said that just as the 
work of the police officers in ensuring drug interdiction is 
important, so too is that of the NCSA in making sure that the demand 
for drugs is cut down and young people are steered away from 
substance abuse. Marshall said that in order for the NCSA to 
effectively and efficiently do this job, they require more resources 
as they are operating on a budget under $2 million, within which they 
have to target persons of all age groups to encourage them to stay 
away from drugs.

Additionally, the organisation operates with only 20 staff members. 
However, they are well supported with 100 volunteers.

Marshall assured the media that the issue of the shortage of staff 
and the need for more funding, which rests with the Ministry of 
Finance, would be looked into.

The work of the NCSA is so pivotal to the commitments that this 
Government has given to the people of Barbados, that they will 
receive all of the funding that it can reasonably require to 
discharge its responsibility.

Meanwhile, he praised the NCSA board for the passion that they have 
shown in their fight against substance abuse. The prestige that 
might come from sitting on a board is entirely irrelevant. They give 
tremendous amounts of their time way beyond what one could reasonably 
expect of individuals and they do this because they have a clear 
understanding that their goal is to ensure that they dont lose the 
investment that they have made in this country as adults, that their 
parents have made and that their foreparents have made.

However, he reiterated that while it is good to have institutions 
whose focus is on drug prevention, the community also needs to get involved.

We can set up all of the structures that we want to fight drug and 
substance abuse, but I think the harsh reality for us is that except 
our communities stand side by side with institutions such as this, it 
is a fight that we are not going to win,he affirmed.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman