EDITORIAL: The drug fight must continue
As is customary throughout the course of this month, concerted efforts will be made to raise public awareness around the matter of drug abuse and misuse in this country, all in an effort to encourage those addicted to legal or illegal drugs, to turn their lives around and at the same time to discourage others from going down that path.
Indeed we commend the National Council on Substance Abuse and entities like Verdun House and the Counselling Addiction Support Alternatives for the excellent work they have been doing over the years to educate persons about the dangers of drug use and especially in the case of the latter two, to ween persons off such substances. But, if we are to be honest, then as a society we must admit that despite the yeoman service of these organisations, there is still much work to be done.
Yes we have made significant strides, and the introduction of the Drug Treatment Court as an alternative to incarceration for offenders who were deemed to be drug dependent is one such example. From all reports the court has been a success, and should be lauded, as it gave persons a second chance, providing them with the opportunity to get the treatment they need to kick the habit.
But we need to reach even more people, so that they are not turning to a life of drugs and quite often crime, and in turn we see fewer drug offenders coming before the courts. Perhaps part of the problem we face is that drug addiction is still considered to be taboo by many and we would rather burying our heads in the sand and pretend it only affects a certain class of people, than to face the problem head on and wrestle it to the ground. The fact is that persons are not only addicted to marijuana and cocaine, but there are persons who are addicted to legal prescription medication as well.
Barbados may not be as bad as some other countries as far as drug addiction is concerned, but we cannot take solace in that, and efforts must continue to be made to keep those numbers to a minimum. We do not have accurate figures on substance abuse and this is an area that needs to be addressed, as there are economic, social and health implications which can worsen if it is allowed to get out of control. It is a problem that exists and we can see that in the number of young men in particular, who are going before our law courts directly or indirectly because of illegal drug use. These persons are either being caught red-handed or they are using drugs and getting involved in other criminal activity.
We wonder if Government’s plan to amend the Drug Abuse (Prevention and Control) Act to introduce a fixed penalty system for persons found in possession of small quantities of marijuana, issuing them with tickets, rather than arresting and charging them, may help to stem the problem, or if it will simply give more persons license to engage in that activity. We were told in the Throne Speech last year that in 2019, 4,295 drug and drug related criminal charges were laid against accused persons, which represented 30 percent of the criminal charges laid in that year. Certainly it would be instructive to compare the tickets that are issued with the previous cases that went to court for possession, if this planned amendment, which is currently on the Order Paper of the House of Assembly for debate, does go through. If it is found that there is even a slight uptick in such offenses then we know that more work needs to be done.