Executive Director of the RSS Headquarters Captain Errington Shurland
Non-medical use of prescription drugs is growing in Barbados and the Regional Security System (RSS) is putting measures in place to help reverse the trend.
Addressing yesterday’s opening ceremony of the RSS Drug Investigations for Female Officers Course, Executive Director of the RSS Headquarters Captain Errington Shurland said the range of drugs and drug markets were growing and diversifying like never before and pointed out that non-medical use of prescription drugs such as opioids has reached epidemic proportions in various parts of the world.
He said the Caribbean has not remained untouched by this scourge, while citing the growing use of Zesser pills in Trinidad and Tobago. These pills, which are designed to look like sweets, combine a mixture of ecstasy and cocaine.
“Similar challenges exist in Barbados. The Barbados Drug Information Network has reported problematic use of opioids and amphetamines in 2017, ecstasy and crystal meth in 2018 and also crystal meth, ecstasy, xanax and hasheesh in 2019,” he said.
Shurland noted new psychoactive substances (NPS) and emerging drugs were presenting a number of challenges for persons working in the area of demand and supply reduction.
“These problems and challenges are a lack of knowledge about their safety and toxicity, risk and consequences; unawareness of the part of the users about what they consume; increase in the number of overdoses and fatal cases associated with these substances and that these substances are outside of the control of the international and national legislative framework.
A report from CICAD- Inter American Drug Abuse Control Commission indicated that NPS (non medical prescription drugs) and opioids presented not only challenges for drug supply reduction and drug treatment, but also for drug treatment overall,” he told the group gathered at the RSS Training Institute in Paragon.
Over the course’s two week period, the officers will be gain further insight to drugs and trends, valuation of drugs, forensic awareness, precursors, slang in the drug trade and drug trafficking in the Americas, case investigation, intelligence, interview, briefing and debriefing techniques. (JMB)