By EGETON NEWMAN, Freelance WriterSPANISH TOWN, St. Catherine:
Dr. Charles Thesiger, chairman of the National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA), has called for a united effort in the fight against substance abuse in Jamaica, noting that the problem of drug abuse impacts on all of us.
According to him Jamaica is still not the worst place in the world, as there are many positives.
"I think we have blown this thing out of proportion," he said, addressing the launch of the European Union Project Educational Material and Research Conference at the Jamaica Conference Centre on Wednesday November 13.
"But, others think the problem is rocking the very fibre of the social and economic stability of the country and support agencies will have to double their effort in order to put a dent on the ever growing problem."
Gerd Jarchow, Head of Delegation of the EU Commission, supports fully the work of the NCDA especially in the development of the Community Development Action Committees (CDAC's).
In an interview with The Gleaner, Mr. Jarchow said he will continue to give support to the fight against drug abuse, not only in Jamaica but, in the region, pointing out that the CDAC idea is good and that many countries in the region are adopting this module.
"The drug problem here in Jamaica is seen as a local problem and demand local solution," Mr. Jarchow said, "but can we manage it, with the collaboration of agencies and organisations such as the Ministry of Education, the Planning Institute of Jamaica, the Addiction Alert Organisation, among others."
Field Officer at the Drug Abuse Secretariat, Kenneth Scott, believes that reducing the demand for drugs at the community level is an uphill battle and needs the highest level of support to solve the problem.
Scott, who has responsibilities for the parishes of St. Catherine and St. Ann, told The Gleaner in an interview last Wednesday, that the town of Ewarton in St. Catherine is now a transhipment point for the cocaine trade.
He said the town is being used as a pick-up and let off point for Ocho Rios and the western end of the country and in most cases we have a spill over in the town allowing it to become cheap and affordable to the users on the streets.
Ewarton, he said, the home of one of the first five CDAC's established back in 1991 under the Integrated Demand Reduction Programme (IDER), was noted for the best quality ganja grown in the cool hills of St. Catherine.
But, when the CDAC concept was introduced in 1991, hundreds of ganja farmers came down out of the hills and agreed to switch their age-old farming practices from ganja cultivation to callaloo cultivation.
Within a year Mr. Scott said things were looking good for the farmers and, with a grant from the NCDA through the French Government to the CDAC organisation to lend to the farmers, things were looking good for them.
They have now moved into the planting of cassava also, this he said greatly reduced the ganja cultivation in the area, but the cocaine trade is creating havoc for young people in the town.
Minister of Health John Junor said it cost over $300 million per year for health promotion. But, he did not disclose how much of the amount goes to the reduction of drugs.
He made it clear that individual responsibility is fundamental in the fight against drugs.
This is endorsed by Dr. Delores Brissett of the Ministry of Education, John Lopez of Addiction Alert Organisation and Mary Clarke of the Planning Institute of Jamaica.
Director of Communication and Planning in Enchanted Youth Development Association (EYDA), Lloyd Buchanan, said his group will be launching a new drug prevention programme this month, "Operation ESAPP," which will see 450 young people trained as peer mentors in fifteen communities over the next two years. The project will be launched in the conference room of the US Embassy on November 26, 2002.
