(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat has intensified its offensive against illicit drug use with the focus, this time, on developing and strengthening social care and rehabilitation programmes for drug users, in a bid to mitigate the social and health consequences of substance abuse.

With funding from the European Union, the Secretariat has organised a regional workshop on Minimising the Social and Health Consequences of Substance Abuse, with special focus on street-based programmes and the establishment of low threshold drop-in-centres for substance abusers and their relatives who may need counselling.

The workshop, set to take place in Jamaica on 24-25 June, aims to sensitise and increase the knowledge and skills of Non-Government Organizations, policymakers and service providers from the public sector on current and emerging trends in minimising the social and health consequences of substance abuse. It will also draw on best practices of existing Low Threshold Drop-in Centres within the Caribbean

In addition, participants in the workshop will identify and develop national and regional advocacy strategies to lobby for the establishment of low threshold drop-in centres where none currently exist, and other programmes that can help minimise health consequences of substance abuse on individuals, families and communities. The Workshop will also identify areas for in-country technical support to strengthen or establish such existing programmes, and explore the issue of implementing a human rights based approach in programme development – the Caribbean experience.

Another spin-off from the workshop is the provision of a platform for the development and strengthening of networking among service providers of Low Threshold Drop-in Centres in non-government and government agencies to exchange information and sharing of best practices.

Over 20 participants, drawn primarily from Non Government Organizations across the Region, are expected to attend and benefit from this workshop which starts just two days ahead of World International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, to be observed on 26 June.