June 26th marks the United Nations International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. Government has said it remains resolutely committed to addressing the negative consequences that drug abuse exacts upon our community.
'Illicit drugs have widespread implications causing permanent physical and emotional damage to users and negatively impacting their families, work colleagues, and many others with whom they have contact. Addressing this in an effective manner requires that all stakeholders in the field of rehabilitation, health, enforcement and education approach this issue in a coordinated way; something that is already well established.'
The Government’s Drug and Alcohol Awareness and Rehabilitation Service has organised a seminar of stakeholder members of public sector on Wednesday the 28th June. The aim of the seminar is to fully explain the services offered by the department and promote their work and further improve and enhance their interaction with other Government departments and public bodies. This will also serve as a forum to explore how these can be further developed to improve the lives of those affected and mitigating the effects on drug abuse at all levels of our community.
Minster with responsibility for Drug & Alcohol awareness and rehabilitation services Samantha Sacramento MP said “Assisting people with drugs problems is as important as the education on drug abuse prevention. My department has made tremendous progress on all fronts, we have developed and restructured and the service has much improved over the years and I wish to further consolidate this progress with all our partner agencies so that we can deliver the best support, treatment and advice to those suffering from addiction as well to their family members. I am very much looking forward to the forum later in the week as it will have a wide representation on Government departments who need to work together. The seminar will help my department to take stock of all our progress, properly communicate to all our partners and to further develop our working relationships and influence future polices, practices and procedures from a multi agency and multi disciplinary point of view."
