Barbadians leading the call for Government to legalise marijuana have been told to check the impact its use and other drugs are having on the nation’s youth in particular.
The caution has come from Attorney General and Minister of Home Affairs Adriel Brathwaite, who said a look at the number of youth being treated at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Psychiatric Hospital for substance abuse could guide the debate.
“So to those of you in society who are on this bandwagon that we should automatically legalise certain substances, I invite you to see the other side of the coin.
“First and foremost, to see the tremendous amount of damage that is being done to our young men and women. Once you have seen that, then your views may very well change to recognise that it is not so much about legalising any substance, but to ensure that whatever we do, that we accept the serious public health consequences,” he said.
Brathwaite was speaking at a church service to mark Drug Awareness Month at Black Rock Wesleyan Holiness Church in Clevedale Road, St Michael, yesterday.
He added that 2017 was a particularly concerning year with the large number of murders that appeared to be directly and indirectly linked to drugs and gangs. He noted a third of the young men in prison were directly involved in abusing some substance or a combination of substances.
The Attorney General said it was not enough for commentators to query what Government was doing about the situation, since it was not a Government issue but one where the entire society needed to intervene.
In that regard, the church has been called on to play a greater role in assisting people struggling with substance abuse.
Manager of the National Council on Substance Abuse (NCSA), Betty Hunte, called for people to be non-judgmental and act with forgiveness in the context of this year’s theme Taking Charge Of Change.
She said when the substance abuse was on a personal level, individuals questioned how the person got that way, but when it was further away, the first response was “it serves he right. That is not the response of the church; it ought not to be”.
Hunte said substance abuse should be seen as the mental health issue it was and not only a criminal justice matter.
She said that out of concern for the early age children were being exposed to drugs, the NCSA would be reviewing its programming in primary schools so it could “respond to the needs in a different fashion”.
She also called for “a few good men” in the church to partner with the NCSA when it launches a mentorship programme shortly.
“Come and make a difference. I am appealing to the church not to stand on the sidelines of this fight against substance abuse,” Hunte stressed.
In his sermon, pastor of the church, Reverend Anderson Carrington, suggested that in the same way it was mandatory for children to attend school from age five, it should also be that they receive one hour of religious instruction every week. (LK)
