NDC aims to reduce drug use with reduced budget
(CNS): Despite a reduction in the National Drug Council’s budget from $510,000 last year to 486,000 in this year’s financial plan the Minister with responsibility for youth said government was committed to the NDC and its work in reducing the demand for drugs. As Cayman prepares to mark International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking this weekend with a focus on steering young people away from drugs the minister said that young people were often misinformed about drug misuse and the negative health impact.
This year’s international drive encourages young people to take charge and aims to raise awareness of the major problem that illicit drugs represent to society and especially to young people. With the theme Do drugs control your life? Your life. Your community. No place for drugs, campaign organizers hope to inspire people to say no to drugs.
The minister has encouraged parents to talk to their children about the negative impacts of drug abuse, and urged students to take control of their lives by specifically adopting the last part of this year’s campaign slogan: No place for drugs.
“Teenagers and young adults are particularly vulnerable to using illicit drugs. Many times they are subjected to strong peer pressure to experiment with illicit drugs. Moreover, young people tend to be either misinformed or insufficiently aware of the health risks involved in using drugs,” Scotland added.
In support of the international campaign, Scotland talked about the devastating impact on individuals, families, communities and society as a whole that drugs have.
“Our Government will continue to support the National Drug Council (NDC)’s efforts against illicit drug use,” he said. “Drug and alcohol abuse is a grave problem in our society that can be prevented, treated and controlled. While efforts to reduce supply are ongoing, we must also support those agencies working to reduce the demand, and I give my full support to the NDC so that they can continue their good work.”
Global research shows that the prevalence of drug use among young people is more than twice as high as that among the general population. Cayman’s own Student Drug Use Survey (CISDUS) supports the need to raise awareness among youth.
Established to coordinate government’s efforts to reduce local drug supply and demand, the NDC will continue to be on the frontlines in the fight against drug abuse, said NDC Executive Director Joan West-Dacres. “Research continues to be a guiding force in formulating our national policies. In addition, looking at current trends is equally vital. We will continue to focus our energies on protecting our teenagers and young adults,” she said.
Like most countries the Cayman Islands spends a far greater portion of its money in the fight against drugs via law enforcement and control of those that trade in the drug rather than fighting the problem through education, awareness and rehabilitation.
The International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking was established by the United Nations in 1987. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) continues to lead the international campaign aimed at raising awareness of the major problem that illicit drugs represent to society and especially to young people. It is everyone responsibility to ensure that children and youth in our communities grow up in a society free of drugs.
For more information please call the NDC at Tel. 949-9000, Fax. 949-6264 or email: info@ndc.ky . For more information on the UNODC’s campaign go to http://www.unodc.org/drugs/en/about-the-world-drug-campaign/index.html
Category: Health
Perhaps we could list the NDC as one of the Premier’s household expenses in order to increase their funding?
Just a thought…..
Half a million a year?? What the hell do they do with that?
For that money you could pay a senior executive salary, a full page in the compass every single day, and still afford a year round tv and radio ad campaign.
What a waste of money.
You forget office space rental, phone bills, utilities, literature costs, actual programme costs, drug survey costs etc.
cause Drug addicts don’t have a Business class section for Big Mac to travel on…
Why has this budget been reduced and Cayman Airways budget increased????
Wow, the value of an airline has more importance than the value of life?