Story by Tafara Chikumira
Government is crafting a cocktail of measures to upscale the fight against drug and substance abuse, with stakeholders focusing on lasting solutions to eradicate the menace that is slowly destroying society.
The negative effects of drug and substance abuse have prompted stakeholders to spring to action and come up with strategies to arrest the vice through a three-day workshop in Kwekwe.
The national chairperson of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Drugs and Substance Abuse, Honourable Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri who was represented by her deputy Honourable Kazembe Kazembe, who is also Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage, challenged stakeholders to come up with strategies that will end the vice.
“Let me reiterate that to ensure that our efforts are both comprehensive and sustainable, we need to adopt a multi-sectoral approach, whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach as enshrined in the Zimbabwe Multi-Sectoral Drug and Substance Abuse Plan (2024-2030). The plan clearly spells out the significant and specialised roles each of you has to play in ensuring the success of critical areas. We must disrupt the flow of illicit drugs into our country. This requires cooperation between law enforcement agencies, boarder security and the judiciary. As leaders, you must advocate for stricter enforcement of laws and support efforts to strengthen our country’s ability to combat drug trafficking,” he said.
The Midlands province has made significant progress in dealing with drug and substance abuse by targeting drug kingpins.
Midlands Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Hon Owen Ncube noted, “During the period January to October 2024, the Midlands Province Drugs and Substance Supply Reduction Pillar identified 57 hot spots, and undertook 101 raids, Kwekwe included, leading to a total of 379 arrests. The Demand Reduction Pillar reached out to over 36 500 Youths through drugs and substance abuse awareness campaigns, whilst the Treatment and Rehabilitation Pillar admitted 977 people. Furthermore, the Reintegration and Psychosocial Support Pillar reached out to over 1 900 people who use drugs for counselling and caregiving.”
The national committee on drug and substance abuse is seized with the task of employing specialists to curb the menace which has become a major source of worry among youths.
