Minister of Health and Social Transformation Hon. Willmoth Daniel Joint Message on the Occasion of International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, 26th June 2012
Today, June 26, is recognized worldwide as International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
Since 1987, the United Nations General Assembly agreed to observe this day and to use it as an opportunity to bring increased awareness to individuals and societies of the dangers caused by drug abuse and drug trafficking. Today, we speak to you not simply as fellow citizens, but as parents, guardians and concerned neighbors.
This year, the continuing theme for observance of the day is health. In Antigua and Barbuda, we wish to use the opportunity to draw attention to the dangers caused by alcohol and other drug abuse, especially to our young people.
We know that globally, alcohol and other drug abuse place a tremendous burden on our health care system. As our young people prepare to go on their summer vacation, we wish to remind them that while alcohol and other drug abuse affect people of all generations, it is especially damaging to them, on whom our future depends.
Senator Parker
As a mother, I've always thought of the summer months as a special time to bundle our children for holidays and great fun; to enjoy the warmth of an environment in which we could fulfill the promises and hopes of those restless young minds.
But so much has happened over these last years; so much to shake the foundations of all that we know and all that we believe in.
As we all know, the problem of alcohol and drug abuse, is non discriminatory; no one is safe from it—not you, not me, and certainly not our children. Like HIV and AIDS, drug abuse has no regard for race, color, religious affiliation, gender, economic or academic status, political beliefs, and the like.
Many of you believe that drugs and drug abuse are not your concern. But contrary to popular belief, drug abuse, like tourism, is everybody’s business: it concerns us all – the family, the church, and society. Here in Antigua & Barbuda, we see and experience on a daily basis the negative effects of drug abuse and illegal drug trafficking.
At the Ministry of Social Transformation, especially the Substance Abuse Prevention Division, we are concerned about what drugs are doing to our young people.
We are particularly concerned when adults who have responsibility for young children send them to purchase alcohol, cigarettes, and illegal drugs, and consume them in their presence. Some adults, we are told, even share these substances with the children.
Drugs rob our children of their dreams and replace them with nightmares. It is time that we stand up as a nation and help our people who have lost them to drugs, to reclaim those dreams.
Each of us has to play our part, whether it is in social settings, the workplace, or our communities. The church also has its role to play. At this time, indifference is not an option. We ask you to become our partner in the fight against drug abuse in Antigua and Barbuda. For the sake of our children, take a firm stand against drug abuse.
The job is never easy because drug criminals are ingenious. They work every day to plot a new and better way to steal our children's lives. These criminals prosper because of our denial of the reality and our unwillingness to act. We need to be persistent in our efforts to encourage our young people to develop positive attitudes and to engage in healthy alternatives to drug use.
Finally, my message to young people is this: There is a big, wonderful world out there for you. It belongs to you. It is exciting, stimulating, and rewarding. Do not cheat yourselves out of this promise. Our country needs you, but it needs you to be Healthy and Drug Free.
Minister Daniel
The task ahead of us is not an easy one, and must include the combined efforts of government, the private sector and citizens. Drug abuse and drug abuse prevention is not solely the responsibility of government, it is everybody’s concern. Gone are the days when drug abuse was considered to affect only the abuser. On the contrar, drug abuse takes its toll on families, in school, in the workplace, in societies.
In short, everyone, whether we want to believe it or not, is affected by drug abuse.
Drug trafficking, on the other hand, has destabilizing effects on countries, as it is a threat to national security and health. Not only do we see drug trafficking resulting in an increase in criminal activities, but these activities oftentimes result in injuries and death, sometimes to innocent citizens.
With health as our theme for this year’s observance of the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, let us take time to consider the enormous burden that drug abuse places on our health-care system.
The increased serious or fatal traffic accidents because someone was drinking and/or using drugs and driving, or walking on the road while intoxicated; the father who goes home drunk, beats his wife or children to the point of sending them to the emergency room; the drug addict who needs a fix so badly that she does not remember to tell the man that he must use a condom.
As the Minister with responsibility for Health, I use this opportunity to remind us all that drug abuse is no respecter of persons, it does not discriminate and none of us is immune. As a member of the United Nations, Antigua and Barbuda takes seriously our responsibility to protect our population from drug abuse through education and prevention activities and the provision of treatment and rehabilitation services.
But, as you would appreciate, government cannot do this alone; it takes the input from businesses, social clubs, the church, communities, everyone.
In the Ministry of Health, we have begun to look at drug dependence as a disease, and we recognize the tremendous burden that it is placing on our healthcare system. This recognition has caused us to look at including drug use disorders in both our health and mental health policies.
Today, as we join the rest of the international community in observing the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, let us remember especially our youth, who are more susceptible to becoming involved in the very dangerous activities of drug trafficking and drug abuse.
Let us, do what we can to protect them; and let us all join together to become partners in the fight against drugs in our Fair Antigua and Barbuda.
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