SADC WORKSHOP ON DRUGS

A national workshop on drugs abuse in Angola will be held November 18-19 in
Luanda, in the framework of the implementation of the SADC Protocol on
Combating Illicit Drugs.

This was announced Friday in Luanda by Johnny Strijdom, senior officer of
SADC drug control programme.

He said the meeting will look at a comprehensive strategy against drugs
abuse in Angola, in line with the regulations of the above mentioned protocol.

Workshop participants will include national police officers, magistrates,
representatives of health and education sectors and from non-governmental
organisations.

Mr Strijdom said the protocol calls for the need to outline and update
national strategies of member countries, to allow a successful
implementation of the regional programme.

Similar meetings have already been held in Namibia, Mozambique, Malawi,
DRCongo and Botswana, he said.

He explained that the implementation of this protocol saw a five per cent
rise in cannabis seizure in 2001, a total of 54,475 cases, and an
increasing search for treatment by people with cannabis problems.

He also said that heroin seizure has increased 70 per cent since 2000,
mostly in countries of the eastern part of the region.

The setting up of national monitoring systems in nine of the 14 SADC
countries and the conclusion, in the same year, of national strategies for
drugs control in all member countries, are some of the achievements.

The Namibian national deplored, however, the sluggishness of the process of
adoption of the national drug control master plans by SADC governments,
saying that only a few countries have these officially adopted.