By Leroy Smith
[www.inewsguyana.com] – The debate with respect to drugs and alcohol in most cases are limited to marijuana and not necessarily cocaine since the latter is considered harder drugs and one which raises danger in the minds of people.
This is according to Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee, who delivered remarks at the opening of a workshop aimed at implementing a standardized data collection System for Drug and Alcohol Treatment agencies in the Caribbean.
The two day event will be attended by representatives of several other Caribbean countries. The Home Affairs Minister noted that even in the Caribbean Region, there is no coordinated approach on data collection especially on Drug Trafficking and its use and if at the national level there is a lack of data collection, then the ultimate result will be wrong decision making across the board.
He made reference to the use of such information for policy decisions, academic institutions, research institutions, financing institutions and other bodies. Rohee said that data should at all times be reliable.
According to him, whether for the dismantling of drug mechanisms or the treatment of drug addicts, there is a considerable amount of monies being spent around the world to fight drug trafficking in the areas of decriminalizing, law enforcement, equipment and land and water transport.
“The interest of young people needs to be taken into consideration when decisions made and discussions are held with respect to the legalizing or decriminalizing of the use of marijuana less we end up digging a hole to fill a hole,” Rohee said.
He explained that romancing of narcotics has its own dangers and any decision made will impact the lives of the future generations in the long term.
The seminar was also attended by Diplomat Jean Ricot Dormeus of the Organization of American States. He pointed out that the move now being taken by Guyana was first adopted in Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Barbados between 2012 and 2013 as part of a pilot program.
According to the Diplomat, the system will expand across the region and come next month, a seminar will be held in the Bahamas which will benefit all other countries in the region, who are not part of the ongoing session here in Guyana.
Those taking part presently are Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.
The seminar is aimed at sharing best practices and building capacity, while developing effective procedures to strengthen security and foster development in the Region.
