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Reports from the Turks and Caicos Islands Gazette
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| H.E. GOVERNOR GORDON WETHERELL, PRESS STATEMENT ON INTERNATIOANL DAY AGAINST DRUG ABUSE AND ILLICIT TRAFFICKING |
GRAND TURK, Turks and Caicos Islands; Friday, June 26th, 2009 – “Today 26 June, is observed around the world as International Day Against Drug Abuse And Illicit Trafficking.
Observance of the day was initiated by the United Nations Office On Drugs And Crime in September 1987. Since then, UNODC has devised successive themes to bring a global focus to the problems of substance abuse and their impact on communities around the world where drugs are allowed to proliferate.
The UNODC theme for the last three years 2007 – 2009 has been “Do Drugs Control Your Life? Your Life Your Community No Place For Drugs”. This year, the National Drug Unit, the arm of the TCI government charged with the mandate of fighting the spread of Drugs has reflected the theme in the words – ‘Do Drugs Control Your Life? Take It Back”
Through its Community Outreach Programmes, and its Prison Outreach Programme the National Drug Unit assesses that the problem of substance abuse in the Turks and Caicos Islands is widespread. This is worrying. Research carried out in H.M. Prison has established that a large number of inmates are there for drug related crimes. This underlines the importance of the Outreach programmes. These programmes in the community and the prison are delivered through group counselling sessions, spiritual awareness sessions and one-on-one individual counselling sessions to help persons with substance abuse problems.
In 2002 and 2006 respectively, the National Drug Unit conducted formal Secondary Schools Surveys into the incidence of substance abuse in schools in the TCI. The statistics produced by those surveys have shown that many of our school children are experimenting with alcohol and with various illegal substances.
Through its Schools Prevention Programme, the National Drug Unit provides drug education, delivered on a class by class basis. The Drug Unit also interacts with PTA’s in an effort to sensitize parents to the reality of the substance abuse problem among youth.
Against this background, I would like to underline that the drug business should be of concern to us all. If we continue to allow drugs to proliferate through our communities, we will all be affected. As I have already indicated, research done in the prison has shown the direct correlation between proliferation of drugs and increase in criminal activity.
The proliferation of drugs should concern us all because of its impact on our social fabric and our security. It should also concern us because of its impact on our economy. The Turks & Caicos Islands is a major tourist destination; and tourism makes an enormous contribution to our economy. We should not put this at risk because of drug related criminal activity.
At the end of the day substance abuse and the illicit trafficking of drugs can only continue to spread if we allow them to, whether by turning a blind eye to those dealing drugs to school children; or falling into the temptation of seeking to benefit from the proceeds of drug trafficking ourselves.
The “Take It Back” theme of the Drug Unit tells us to become proactive in dealing with the problem of drugs. It tells us that, if our school is damaged by the presence of drugs, we should TAKE IT BACK; that if our neighbourhood is damaged by the presence of drugs, we should TAKE IT BACK; that if our community is so damaged, we should TAKE IT BACK.
If we do not, we will reap the consequences, whether through an escalation of violent crime, the formation and entrenchment of gangs in our communities, a drop in the productivity of our work force, or a prison overflowing with young men who would otherwise be making a meaningful contribution to the development of their country.
I ask you all to join with me in giving our full support to the National Drug Unit as they seek to carry out their mission of eradicating the scourge of drugs from the shores of these beautiful by nature Turks & Caicos Islands.”
H.E. Gordon Wetherell
Governor |
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