Government steps up fight against illegal substances

Monday, February 1, 2010 – A national seminar on the “diversion of chemical substances” moves into day two today at the Bay Gardens Resort. The five-day seminar which is being hosted by the Substance Abuse Advisory Council Secretariat in collaboration with the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD), comes on the heels of a similar workshop held at a regional level in Saint Lucia, last year.

Head of the Substance Abuse Advisory Council Secretariat, Clement Edward, says the workshops are indicative of government’s commitment to the fight against illegal drug trafficking. However, he calls for a collective effort to the situation.

“We do applaud the effort of these hard working men and women for what they are doing in the controlling of the drug situation, nevertheless we are not naïve to believe that this is sufficient. It takes the effort of every agency, the intelligence of every department within and outside of government, to bring some measure of control to reduce crime and also to give Saint Lucia a better piece of mind.”

The Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission, is providing technical assistance to Saint Lucia in the form of training and expertise. Head of CICAD’s supply, reduction and control section, Ziggy Malyniwsky, says this week’s seminar will examine how chemicals are used to produced various categories of illegal drugs.

“We will be talking about how the drugs are produced. We will be talking about diversion—what you need to look for. We will be talking about some of the programmes that are in place internationally to try and control the use of chemicals in the production of illicit drugs,” Malyniwsky said.

The workshop is also being supported by the Organization of American States (OAS), and the French Embassy, and brings together representatives from a cross-section of the public, including law enforcement officers. The workshop ends on Friday.

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