The National Council on Drug abuse was established in October 1983, by the then Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Edward Seaga, and assigned to the portfolio of the then Ministry of Science, Technology and Energy with Dr. Ronald Irvine as Chairman of the Council. In 1984, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Energy was disbanded, and the responsibility for the National Council on Drug Abuse was transferred to the Office of the Prime Minister. In 1994, the Ministry of Health assumed responsibility for the Council.
Role of the NCDA
When the NCDA was established in 1983, it was charged with the responsibility of educating the general public about the dangers of drug use, and of preventing the indiscriminate use of drugs. Since then however, the Council has had to review its role, and this has led to an expansion of its terms of reference to include an examination of the legal, medical and security issues surrounding drug abuse, as well as research.
The NCDA has formulated projects to address all the various key elements and established a comprehensive national policy on drug abuse prevention policy for demand and supply reduction.