Prevention key to fighting substance abuse – Minister |02 April 2015

Social Affairs, Community Development and Sports Minister Vincent Meriton has reinforced the fact that prevention is the most important means to fight substance abuse especially drugs.

Minister Meriton said substance abuse has and is still costing both families and the state a lot financially and in terms of the number of young lives and future of our young people and the country’s workforce that are just wasting away.

“It is for this reason that we are focusing our efforts on stepping up prevention measures,” Minister Meriton said.

The minister said this in the National Assembly on Tuesday morning while answering a question on the issue by elected member for Plaisance Roma Edmond.

Mrs Edmond had asked if there are any specific programmes to help parents who are suffering and are being traumatised watching their children being affected and their lives ruined through drugs and alcohol abuse.

Minister Meriton explained that it is a known fact that apart from government ministries and agencies different non-governmental organisations and religious affiliated bodies are through various programmes supporting parents and their children who are victims of substance abuse.

“Parents are always the first to come looking for help and support for their children who in many instances are not ready to admit they have an addiction problem and accept help to kick the addiction,” Minister Meriton pointed out.

He reminded Assembly members that the government is doing its utmost through agencies in place to fight importation of and trafficking in illicit drugs.
Referring to the recent seizure of 32kg of heroin, Minister Meriton said if it had reached its destined buyers and users one cannot refrain from thinking of the havoc it would have continued to wreak among our young people.

“We can therefore understand the trauma and suffering of those parents whose children are caught in this destructive web of addiction,” Minister Meriton pointed out.

He acknowledged the effort by different organisations – namely Care, Mont Royale, Car, the Wellness Centre, Dac, among others – to give a helping hand to victims and their families.

He reassured parents that the government remains committed in the fight against substance abuse which concerns and affects all of us in different ways, directly or indirectly.

“It is a fight which should be waged in a concerted manner if we want to succeed,” Minister Meriton said.

Minister Meriton also announced in the Assembly that the Wellness Centre which is situated at Les Cannelles will soon be opening a Drop In Centre in Victoria in order to be closer to people suffering from addiction and their families.

He also announced that the government has approved for the Drug and Alcohol Council (Dac) to be reviewed so that it can expand the services it offers.