Substance Abuse (Reduction)

It is widely acknowledged that any effective drug prevention program must have a strong youth focus as young people are among the most vulnerable to the allure of illicit substances. For this reason the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Caribbean regional field office is preparing to launch the United Nations Global Youth Network in the Caribbean in cooperation with Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Barbados National Council on Substance Abuse (NCSA). 

A two-day Regional Demand Reduction Forum opens at the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Georgetown, Guyana-based Headquarters on Monday 17 September 2001, bringing together governmental and non governmental agencies from across the Region to set out a new course of action against the scourge of substance abuse which threatens to consume the entire Region. The Forum is also expected to advise the Community Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD) on the policy direction to be adopted.

The Caribbean Community's (CARICOM) Inter-Governmental Task Force on Drugs and Regional Ministers of National Security expressed concern at the high levels of illicit drugs remaining in the Caribbean out of the cargo being transhipped to external countries.