THE EARLY WARNING SYSTEM WILL ALLOW FOR SURVEILLANCE IN THE USE OF OPIOIDS AND NEW PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN.

The Substance Abuse Advisory Council Secretariat, this week, held a workshop on Early Warning Systems (EWS) in Response to Opioids and New Psychoactive Substances in Latin America and the Caribbean.

An early warning system supports public health and security by providing a rapid response to adverse changes in the drug phenomenon, thereby minimizing the risks associated with it. A national Early Warning System will allow for maintaining a surveillance system that includes information from multiple sources such as epidemiology, public health, forensic experts, national security and border agencies, and community-based agencies.

Acting Director of the Substance Abuse Advisory Secretariat, Nastaha Lloyd-Felix explained: “A few months ago we spent a week reviewing the current trends and threats within the drug market and we looked at psychoactive substances specifically. We are key stakeholders in the national effort to minimize the impact  of drugs on our health, on our  people, and on our economic development, and so each of you brings to the table some valuable experiences and expertise that would allow for a very successful commencement/ development/and continuity of an early warning system.”

Establishing an Early Warning System also means building capacities that would allow for, among other things, more rapid and accurate information on new and emerging drug phenomena in the drug market and the systematic monitoring of  the availability and the consumption patterns and other emerging drugs.

The workshop participants comprised of medical and public health practitioners, emergency response personnel, law enforcement, border control, forensic science practitioners, community and social support officials and financial intelligence agents. The participants received training on the detection of emerging drug-related threats, risk assessment, issuing of alerts, follow-up actions, monitoring and surveillance.

Pernell Clarke, Research Specialist for the Inter-American Observatory on Drugs Unit (OID) of CICAD, commended the Ministry of Heath for recognizing the need for such an important the workshop.

“The drug problem in our region continue to evolve and the emergence of new psychoactive substances known as NPS and opioids such as fentanyl have resulted in dire consequences for us in the Americas particularly those in North America, USA and Canada. Closer to home, last month we received news from the Trinidad and Tobago EWS of the discovery of their first synthetic drugs lab manufacturing methamphetamine. About three weeks ago in Barbados, there was the discovery of synthetic cannabinoids; so these things are getting closer and closer to home.”

Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Sharon Belmar George, said the EWS workshop provides the opportunity for shared knowledge and allows for Saint Lucia to learn from its counterparts.

“I am looking forward to having a national program implemented. We manage a lot of the end product: we see the increases in our health facilities and hospital admissions, we see what is happening to our young people within the mental wellness centre, but detecting the root issues from early on and implementing preventative measures is always the most cost effective approach.”

The Early Warning Systems workshop was made possible through financial support from the Government of Canada. The seminar was facilitated through the bilateral support of OAS/CICAD and was held from September 12 to 14, at the Cocoa Palm Hotel.