FIGHT AGAINST DRUG ABUSE, MINISTRY PLEADS

THE Education Ministry is calling on all stakeholders to oppose the
illegal cultivation and use of drugs as we commemorate the
International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, (IDADIIT).

Speaking at the launch of IDADIIT held yesterday at the Fiji College
of Advanced Education (FCAE) Hall, the Deputy Secretary for Education,
Ram Chandar, said the theme 'Drug Free Fiji - Marijuana Kills! Don't
till', was an apt reminder to us of the magnitude of the problem.

"It reminds us that we can no longer concentrate our fight on the
users and suppliers only if there is any hope of eradicating drugs,
and then we need to target the farmers who till the land," he said.

Chandar said drug and substance abuse had become a multi-pronged
menace to be reckoned with and the war against drugs was a real one.

He added that illegal drug use threatened everything that was best for
our country.

"It breaks the bonds between parents and children. It turns productive
citizens into addicts. It transforms schools into places of violence
and chaos. It makes recreational playgrounds into crime scenes,"
Chandar said.

He added that illegal drug was the enemy of ambition and he said it
was for this reason that we must aggressively and unabashedly teach
our children the dangers of drugs.

"We must aggressively treat addiction wherever we find it. And we
must aggressively enforce laws against drugs. We cannot pick and
choose between these goals. All are necessary if any is to be
effective," Chandar stressed.

He also commended the comprehensive approach currently being
taken.

He also stated that the UN World Drug report puts a price of over $300
billion on the retail market value of drugs and the producer market
nets over $12 billion, and marijuana users alone number over 158
million worldwide.

"The onus is on us to act and to work and most importantly, in my
opinion to provide alternatives for drugs," Chandar urged.