Saving a nation from drugs

KINNESHA GEORGE-HARRY

Chief Secretary Kelvin Charles believes this country's future could be threatened if the younger generation is consumed by illegal drugs. Addressing a drug intervention workshop on Tuesday, Charles said the start of the workshop marks the beginning of a week of specialised training and capacity-building for many professionals involved in the frontline of the fight against drugs..

He told those at the opening ceremony of the workshop at the Mt Irvine Bay Hotel, “It’s the seemingly never-ending fight to reclaim the at-risk adolescents and youth of our nation. A fight to assist them in taking back ownership of their hopes, their futures, their lives from the tentacles of drug use and addiction.

“I believe this collaborative effort amongst us demonstrates our unwavering commitment and shared dedication to this important cause.”

The Ministry of National Security’s National Drug Council collaborated with the US Embassy, the THA and the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission of the Organisation of American States to host the adolescent drug intervention training workshop.

The workshop runs until Friday and aims to improve and expand treatment and rehabilitation services for adolescents and youths using and/or addicted to alcohol and other drugs. Its general objective is to strengthen the capabilities of people working with adolescents and youths to understand and respond to those using or addicted to substances.

The workshop has six modules: adolescent development, screening and assessment, trauma and trauma-informed care, adolescents in conflict with the law, adolescent drug treatment and family interventions.

Charles said such workshops are a critical component of the fight, and the approach needs to be multi-faceted and balanced to effect tangible change. He said there is broad consensus that the war on drugs cannot be won solely through legalistic measures and criminal sanctions, and intense focus ought to be paid to intervention, treatment and rehabilitation.

Charles said the period of adolescence is a tricky one, and the transition between childhood and adulthood is usually filled with changes and challenges for both the adolescent and the adult.

“Like many of you, I’m extremely passionate about safeguarding our adolescents and youth from the pitfalls along life’s journey. As the Secretary of Education, Innovation and Energy, I have a genuine concern regarding the adverse effects the usage of legal and illegal substances can have on our students physically as well as on their education. Such usage sometimes results in disciplinary action at schools and may also be a contributing factor to poor academic performance,” he said.

Charles said the THA is also using initiatives to support adolescents and youth in Tobago, and outlined several, noting that despite these efforts, one should not underestimate the common opponent.

In delivering the keynote address, Minister of National Security Stuart Young highlighted the training over the next few days as critical.

“Drugs, substance abuse – a lot of it is about demand and supply. The reality of what we’re facing in the criminal empire, a big element of it is driven by the drug trade, and our young people are particularly vulnerable targets to these criminal elements in the society.

“The job and the task that you’ve been given, and the training that you’ll be provided with over the next few days is very, very important: getting in there at an early stage, with our young people right now faced with a barrage of different substances.”