Message by Secretary of State Patrick Herminie, head of the Agency for the Prevention of Drug Abuse and Rehabilitation to commemorate the international day against drug abuse and illicit trafficking |26 June 2020

Mr Herminie

‘Better knowledge for better care’

“We commemorate today World Drug Day in a period of uncertainty arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, which has solemnly reminded us of the necessity to be knowledgeable to provide better care.

“The major lesson learned from the COVID pandemic is that to be forewarned is forearmed and that with the appropriate knowledge we always have the tactical advantage. We still remember the infodemic of false information which threatened, at one point, to derail our efforts to provide the appropriate response to the pandemic. Luckily for mankind, sanity prevails and today COVID-19 is very much understood and is slowly being contained.

“Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the longest lasting epidemic the world has ever known and that is the pandemic of drug use disorder. More people have been affected with drug addiction and die from it than COVID-19. Now more than ever we need better knowledge for better care of drug addiction.

“Still too many people, including policy makers and even service providers, see the drug problem as a moral failing or character flaw and not as a disease. It is not surprising, therefore, that misinformation about the drug problem is rampant. Addiction is now recognised by the World Health Organisation as a chronic relapsing disease which is the product of three factors, namely, the agent – i.e the addictiveness of the drugs; the host – i.e the genetic predisposition of the individual and; the environment – poverty, social attitude, peer pressure, experimentation, childhood abuse etc. It should hence be treated as a public health problem with far reaching consequences including health and economics as well as crimes.

“We, therefore, need to dispel all misinformation about drug addiction that promote ignorance and stigmatisation. Those suffering from the disease should not be punished but instead should get our support and compassion. We should listen first and then provide the hope that they badly need to re-integrate in, and become productive members, of society.

“Addiction can be cured but we need to recognise that in many instances it is a long and often protracted process and that the persons affected will invariably relapse before sobriety is obtained.

“We, further, recognise that primary prevention aimed at preventing or delaying drug use is key in the fight against drug use disorder. Schools and communities as well as families as the fabric of society are therefore called upon to arm themselves with the necessary knowledge to better cure society of this scourge. No societal epidemic has ever been overcome by treatment alone.

“Our country still grapples with the many formidable problems associated with drug supplies. Driven by greed, criminal traffickers and dealers are still not paying heed to the sufferings caused to thousands of families. They too need to acquire more knowledge about drug addiction so that they too finally take notice of our plea for them to stop destroying the future of our youth.

“In conclusion, we need to foster greater cooperation among government, civil societies and all stakeholders to counter the impact of drug addiction and trafficking on health, governance and security.”

Press release from the Agency for the Prevention of Drug Abuse and Rehabilitation