Harare November 28, 2022 (New Ziana) -The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Drugs and Substance Abuse is intensifying efforts to tackle the menace with a team having been sent to Ghana and South to learn how those countries are dealing with the issue.
Chairperson of the committee, who is also Public Service, Labour, and Social Welfare Minister Paul Mavima, told New Ziana that the committee had identified five pillars to support the efforts to rid society of the menace, particularly among the youth.
He said the five pillars included harm reduction, treatment and rehabilitation, supply reduction, demand reduction and community reintegration.
“An Inter- Ministerial Committee on Drug and Substance Abuse team has already gone to Ghana and South Africa on fact finding missions,” said Mavima.
“They have done international bench marking. What they are now doing is implementation.”
Mavima said the five pillars had been cascaded to the provinces and would be spread to the districts, and further down to the wards, to ensure that every place was covered.
“We have a number of pillars including the Police Narcotics department, which has been doing a very good job by intercepting some of the drugs at the airport” he said.
The Ministry of Youth, Arts, Sports and Recreation leads the Demand Reduction Pillar, which offers recreational programs for the youths to empower them and prevent them falling into the trap.
“We have the treatment pillar which is the Ministry of Health. They offer various treatment and social psychological support and do reintegration into the society,” said Mavima.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa in July this year set up the Inter- Ministerial Committee on drugs and substance abuse to tackle the menace, which is ravaging mostly the youth in the country.
Other members of the committee include the security agencies, the Ministry of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services and that of Women’s Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development.
The abuse of drugs and other substances increased during the national lockdowns which the government imposed as part of efforts to reduce the spread of Covid-19 as people, particularly the youths, were spending many hours idle.
New Ziana
