GG Declares November Drug Awareness Month

November has been declared Drug Awareness Month by Governor General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, who read the Proclamation during a brief ceremony at King’s House on October 31.

In attendance were members of the National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA), the organisation charged with the responsibility of educating the general public about the dangers of drug use, and of preventing the indiscriminate use of drugs.

In making the declaration, the Governor-General commended the work of the NCDA and urged Jamaicans to participate in the activities planned for the month.

He said it is important to “harness the support of the entire country as we struggle to combat drugs and seek to help our youngsters, in particular, to grow up in a situation where they are drug-free and have the knowledge and information to make the right choices”.

“It’s very important that we take some time to do the Proclamation and also to let folks know that, from every level of our nation, we are very concerned,” he added.

NCDA Executive Director, Michael Tucker, thanked the Governor General for his long-standing support for the work of the entity.

“We look forward to ongoing collaboration with him and other like-minded people to ensure that youth have a bright future in Jamaica,” he told JIS News.

Mr. Tucker said that with November officially declared as Drug Awareness Month, the NCDA can fully activate its ‘ Talk Di Truth’ initiative, which targets youth in schools across the island.

“The work that we do with the population overall is important. but the work with our young people, with them being the future, is essential. The challenges that they face in this environment are dire, and the negative influences are things that we try to deal with,” he noted.

‘Talk Di Truth’ is a public education campaign aimed at engaging youngsters in discussion and information-sharing surrounding marijuana use.

The initiative, launched on September 12, is targeted at young people ages 13-18, with the objective of teaching them the facts about marijuana, so as to reduce abuse of the substance.