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| Tuesday, 24 June 2003 |
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Falling into the (Trip) trap The Moving Finger by Lionel Wijesiri The Police Narcotic Bureau (PNB) has devoted this week to focus on drug menace and to educate the public on the evils of the drug abuse. Drug awareness programmes have been organized in all police stations to mark the World Anti-Narcotic Day which falls on Thursday, June 26. According to a research carried out by the Bureau, during the last year, over 100,000 drug addicts in the country had spent an average of Rs.500 per day for drugs. This is indeed a high figure. There is no doubt that a great deal of work has been performed by PNB and NGOs in creating an awareness among the public about the dangers facing due to dangerous drugs. However this year they need to push through a co-ordinated programme of action to tackle the problem from all sides. Success for the drug strategy means preventing today's young people from becoming tomorrow's problematic drug users. We need to work towards reducing the use of all illicit drugs by all young people, and in particular, by the most vulnerable groups by 2008. We should develop programmes that would provide an educational framework by which young people can be taught drug awareness and life skills in a structured way. These skills will enable them to make informed decisions about the use and misuse of legal and illegal drugs and be more aware of the implications their actions have on themselves and others. Life skills involves creative discussion of subjects such as personal safety, emergency first aid, peer pressure, bullying, assertiveness, decision- making, self-esteem and personal support. We should aim to improve levels of knowledge and understanding, to dispel myths and rumours and to achieve a higher level of debate of these important issues that spread from the classroom, into the playground and, through homework, to parents and guardians at home. Factors Research has proven that a broad range of factors underlie harmful drug use : (1)Social : Some evidence suggests that the onset of drug use by young people is more likely to be a result of the influence of peers rather than the personal characteristics of the individual. Family conflict and isolation from family support are other factors that may contribute to harmful drug use. Lack of access to recreational and cultural facilities may also influence drug use. (2) Psychological ; Research also suggests that drug use in young people is often associated with risk-taking or self-harming behaviours. (3) Health : Chronic pain, including that induced by injury, can lead to harmful use of pharmaceutical drugs. (4) Availability : The promotion, availability and cost of drugs influence patterns of drug use. The demand for illicit drugs influences availability, and demand and availability influence price. The war against drugs will never be won by Government alone. It can only be won by the whole community mobilising together. It will take local people, the police, the prison and probation services, the NGOs, community organisations, teachers and youth workers, social workers, and businessmen, all working together with the Government. Together, they can tackle the evil of drugs, drive the drug dealers out of our communities and keep our children away from their corrupting trade. One of the reasons why the menace of drugs has been able to take hold in our communities is because the strong community organisations needed to withstand it have been weakened over time. These need to be strengthened again. We need to work together to lift up our communities - not just to make them strong, but make them feel strong again. But we must also not forget that the illegal drugs industry itself is a powerful and successful business, and one that we must undermine. To do this we have to: (1) Disrupt its supply lines - from the international trafficker to the local dealer; (2) Cut its consumer base - by helping addicts escape the drug culture and reclaim their own future through treatment, training and employment; and (3) Minimise its future potential - by supporting our young people and helping them choose to reject drugs. Support The local people know better than our politicians what the particular problems are in their community and how to tackle them, if they are given the resources and the support that they need. A whole range of things could be done - for example: (1) Ensuring that police officers maintain a visible presence in drug hot spots; (2) Mobile police stations to make the police more readily accessible to local communities; (3) Neighbourhood credited volunteers to provide a constant presence on public areas; (4) Stringent and harsh action to tackle drug related anti-social behaviour; (5) Support for community, parents' and residents' groups; The Government has already done much to help tackle the problems caused by drug misuse. But the Government cannot win this war on its own. It will take communities to mobilise against drugs. It will take local people working together with central and local government, to tackle the evil of drugs, drive the drug dealers out of our communities and keep our children away from their corrupting trade. Drug misuse is a complex social problem which can only be combated through a co-ordinated, multi-agency strategy. Schools and communities have an important role to play in this task because it is mainly through them that we can better equip our young people with the knowledge and the skills to make better future decisions concerning illegal drugs. |
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