AKEL on World Day Against Drugs

 

The state must invest in prevention

26 June 2024, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia

26 June has been designated by the United Nations as World Day against Drugs to highlight the serious consequences of drug use for individuals, public health and society at large. This year’s special message from the World Health Organization “The evidence is clear: invest in prevention” highlights two aspects of tackling this phenomenon. On the one hand, the need for evidence-based policy on addictions, and on the other hand, the big shortcoming in global prevention.

As both the Cyprus National Strategy and the European Strategy acknowledge, the phenomenon of addiction is a biopsychosocial, multidimensional and multifaceted problem. Consequently, it must be addressed in a multidimensional way. A web of prevention, treatment, harm reduction, social support and supply reduction measures is needed.

Yet it is clear, as the UN powerfully highlights, that global society chooses not to invest adequately in prevention. There has been a continuing decline in investment in meaningful preventive measures and interventions, while an increase in spending on repression policies is being touted as the solution.

The situation is similar here in Cyprus where even the survey on the social cost of illicit substances, which revealed the huge disparity between prevention and suppression, was last conducted in 2020.This delay raises questions, particularly if we take into account that the Addiction Treatment Authority in recent years has reduced the number of preventive programmes operating in Cyprus, while the Cyprus state continues to offer a lack of alcohol rehabilitation services.

 

At the same time, detoxification continues to be offered in unacceptable facilities, while the issues of the satisfactory handling of co-morbidity cases remain unresolved. Finally, we note the unacceptable delay in strengthening substitution programmes with the addition of methadone, which has finally been launched on a pilot basis, four years after the decision was taken.

Cyprus, unfortunately, is not only lagging far behind in terms of policy on illegal substances. The situation regarding the relationship of children and minors in general with legal substances, such as alcohol and cigarettes, but also with gambling is equally worrying.

It is therefore urgent to formulate a comprehensive policy regarding the handling of these issues as well, which addresses all the problems our children face, in addition to the use of addictive substances.

AKEL will continue to support the Cyprus Addiction Treatment Authority in every way possible to implement the National Strategy, but will also criticise it when unjustified delays and indifference in dealing with these serious issues occur. Always in the best interests of people with substance use disorder, but also of society at large, of public health and above all of our children and young people.

26.06.2024