MoH working on long-term drug rehab services – Dr Anthony

…drug usage dominant among youths – PAHO Rep confirms

The Health Ministry will be focusing on long-term rehabilitation services to cater to the prevalent drug usage in Guyana, which has impacted the lives of many persons both on the medical and psychosocial levels.
On Monday, International Day Against Illicit Trafficking and Drug Abuse was observed under the theme “People First: Stop Stigma and Discrimination, Strength and Prevention”.

In a time when companies are finding new and innovative products to make drugs attractive, the Ministry has shifted its focus on solutions to target these trends.
This is according to Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony, who outlined that if rehabilitation for addicts is offered at all primary healthcare facilities, it would make a significant difference in coverage. Moreover, it would be part and parcel of the services offered to the public.
He disclosed, “Our network of health centres, they’re pretty comprehensive health centres, and of course, we probably have over 350 across the country. So, if we’re able to provide these services, each one of these facilities, then basically you have very comprehensive services across.”
“One of the things that we have been talking about in the Ministry is to set up more long-term rehabilitation programmes and if it requires people to be institutionalised temporarily, then that is what we have to do…And so, over the next year or two, we will be working to set up such a programme within the Mental Health Programme because this is a problem that they have to confront.”
Dr Anthony highlighted that drugs have significant effects on the functionality of a person but they can also lead to other illnesses. For instance, intravenous drug usage can also result in HIV contractions among other illnesses.
“We’ve seen with the HIV that you have persons, were intravenous drug users, who contracted not just HIV because of sharing syringes, where they also ended up with things like hepatitis and a whole host of other infections. So, it’s a big problem,” he shared.
While working on education and behaviour modifications, he noted that there must be a change in communities through support from other agencies.
“In some communities, the community knows who are the dealers, but the community does not deserve to give up the dealers. We have to fix it because it’s the community’s responsibility to fix that. And we have to combine our efforts with law enforcement.”
The Minister further stated the need for a comprehensive approach to drug usage, which has already started with outreaches to schools, targeting children at a young age about the dangers of indulging in such substances. He also zeroed in on the need for more trained personnel in the field to tend to the growing number of addicts.

Policy direction
However, Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) Representative, Dr Luis Codina recognised that there is higher usage of drugs among youths around the world than any other generation. Due to the vast number of drugs now available, it presents a challenge for the health sector to offer treatment programmes.
“Young people have a higher level of use than past generations. What we say in the 60s and 70s, we thought that is the highest level of use of heavy drugs. No. Today, young people are using much more at this time. This is important data in terms of what is happening in the new generation,” the representative detailed.
According to Codina, two of the more lethal drugs are tobacco and alcohol. But while some countries are pushing with the ‘say no to drugs’ slogan which has shown some positive effects, others are legalising marijuana. He zeroed in on the need for policies that are effective in sensitising and preventing drug use.
“How to find a balance between these two positions. I think it’s very important to discuss this because it’s the key of policy for the countries. Not to say that the ‘say no to drugs’ didn’t work in all the countries but we need much more than this.”

Rehabilitation
In addition, Magistrate Rondell Weaver said the Judiciary of Guyana has recognised that substance use disorder has led to the development of risky behaviours that are having serious consequences and conflict with the rule of law.
Recognising the need for reintegration services, Guyana’s first Drug Treatment Court was opened in 2017. The Juvenile Drug Treatment Courts were then introduced in 2022.
She pointed out, “This integration has facilitated the replacement of the conventional methods of incarceration. This integration focuses on the welfare of the participants. It promotes public safety and reduces the burden on the State. The courts are geared to reduce recidivism, reduce substance abuse. The courts are also geared to increase the personal accountability of the participants and to restore the participants to productive law-abiding and taxpaying citizens.”
Guyana Drug Information Network of the Home Affairs Ministry (GUYDIN) Head, Kurt Richards spoke about the fact that drug trafficking also fuels additional criminal activities like human trafficking, firearms trafficking, money laundering, and financing terrorism.
Richards divulged, “These crimes are responsible for the loss of life, the breakdown of family relationships, poverty, the destruction of communities and citizen security, even instability within a country. New psychotropic substances, which are introduced through the multiple channels along which drugs travel, including the sale on the internet – the dark web. In addition, there are other products that are available to youths, such as gummies which the Customs Anti-Narcotics has been having a lot of seizures of; marijuana cookies and cakes for sale.”
He noted that these substances pose a serious health risk since they are not prepared by a certified chef or chemist. GUYDIN functions as the hub for all entities dealing with the curtailing of drug use. They have created the National Drug Strategy Masterplan which is in use. (G-12)