| – National Anti Narcotics Agency formed – special court to deal with drug cases,Touting it as “a fresh approach in the war against drugs,” Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan, yesterday unveiled Government’s four-year National Drug Strategy Master Plan at the Police Officers’Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan (centre). Also present are (from left) GRA’s Fitzroy Corlette, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, Commissioner of Police Seelalal Persaud, and Health Minister Dr. George Norton.Training Centre.The key elements of the plan include the establishment of the National Anti Narcotics Agency (NANA) to counter all aspects of the illicit drug trade, a court to deal with special cases,Allan Houston Jersey, and reduced sentences and treatment for some offenders.But for the Master Plan to work, the Public Security Minister said, “We will need to build the political will to ensure that there are no sacred cows in this war.”“Having studied some of the challenges of other countries,Cheap NFL Jerseys, it is largely and especially the political class creating sacred cows in certain companies and individuals that make the problems even worse,” he told the gathering.“We have to ensure scrutiny from our local people, from the larger populace that is interested in the war against drugs and what is happening with it, and scrutiny from international organizations like the DEA and INTEPOL, and we must get everyone involved.“It will take the efforts of not only law enforcement and Ministers, but it will take the efforts of activists, journalists, academics, academic writers and even screen writers to portray to the public the harsh reality of the drug scourge. This, my friends is our fresh approach to lick this scourge.”NATIONAL ANTI NARCOTICS AGENCYUnveiling the major aspect of the Drug Strategy Master Plan, Ramjattan revealed the formation of a National Anti Narcotics Agency (NANA) which would bring several anti-narcotics organizations under one unit.He explained that just as the United States had established the Homeland Security, to respond to that government’s “fragmented” response to terrorism,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, Government saw the need for a unified government organisation called NANA,NFL Jerseys From China, “clothed with the scope, authority and capability to counter the entire spectrum of illegal drug activity. ““Under the umbrella of NANA, CANU, the police narcotics unit, the GRA, the Coast Guard and other narcotics fighting units will be integrated and organised so we can have more functionality,” Ramjattan said.According to a copy of the National Drug Strategy Master Plan, NANA’s organizational structure will include a Drug Intelligence Co-ordination Centre, a legal office, and a national anti-narcotics secretariat.DRUG COURTPart of Government’s “fresh approach” to the drug war appears to be a softening of its stance to minor drug offenders.Ramjattan revealed that a Drug Court will be set up to deal with a specified class of offenders, and integrate drug treatment services within the criminal justice case processing system.“Because a lot of time we say jail them, having been found with a joint or more than a joint and that is not the solution.”A modern strategy or master plan must involve how our court system deals with those who are convicted, even if we have to go against the grain, as it were, use a non-adversarial approach in that court…” Ramjattan said.This will include providing a comprehensive treatment and supervision programme directly supervised by the drug court.“The court represents one other tool in the state’s repertoire of responses in what seems to be an intractable social and legal problem we now have here in Guyana,” Ramjattan said.AIMSHe said that the Master Plan involved a multi-pronged strategy aimed at reducing demand, reducing supply, reducing drug-related harm, providing treatment options, and developing a skilled workforce to respond to drug use.The Master Plan also aims to promote accessible positive alternatives to drug use that are attractive and meaningful, especially to students.He said that would mean provisioning more for sports, recreation,Cheap Jerseys Wholesale, music, more for culture, and fostering a community supportive of the family and positive parenting.Another aim is to “stabilise and reduce” street level dealing in drugs, by effectively disrupting illicit drug production and its supply, and disruption of all networks, with the help of regional and international bodies.TREATMENTAnother central aim is to increase the capacity to provide the full range of treatment for illicit drug uses.“We would certainly do with a lot of international help here,” Ramjattan said.Along with treatment for addicts, Government hopes, through the Drug Strategy, to increase the capacity to support the families of drug users, and include them in the treatment where appropriate.“It is not law enforcement alone that will solve this scourge, we have to have a work force that is wider than law enforcement, but we also have to have that highly skilled law enforcement set of investigators, a skilled supportive health system, and increased capacity to attract and maintain highly skilled personnel.”‘DISHEARTENING’ DRUG USE AMOUNG YOUTHRamjattan indicated that the Drug Strategy may have been shaped by ‘disheartening’ statistics of a 2013 survey of drug use in schools.“Those cold, hard facts about the state of our children, as it relates to the use of licit and illicit drugs, while attending school, told a worrying story.”They survey, conducted during the May-June period of 2013 among 1,890 students from 28 secondary schools,Cheap Jerseys Online, the survey revealed that students were using marijuana and cocaine at a marginally lower age than was the case in an earlier survey.It also showed that the use of narcotics was higher in private schools.“That survey revealed a disheartening story. My intention then was not to create moral panic, but to let it be known that it was a picture which shamed us all, and we had to do something, like renewing the war on drugs licit and illicit.“The call was made that we had to have a strategy within a year, a Master Plan. I am proud to say we have such a strategy here today.”Presentations were also made by Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum, Head of the Customs Anti Narcotics Unit (CANU) James Singh, and the Guyana Revenue Authority’s Fitzroy Corlette.The presentations by the Crime Chief and the head of CANU indicated that drugs from Guyana were being transshipped to every continent.The launching was chaired by Major General (Retd.) Michael Atherly. |
