The Drug Control Secretariat at the Ministry of Education, Human Resource Development and Religious Affairs, informs that 4 Grenadians have commenced specialised, online studies in the area of drug control.
Two nurses, Annette Emmons and Valanda Thomas-Blackman, and Shellyann Mason-Lewis will pursue studies on the ‘Use of Alcohol and other Drugs: Evidence-Based Prevention’. This course is focused on training in the development of evidence-based alcohol and drug use prevention strategies aimed at:
- increasing the effectiveness of preventive interventions,
- teaching key theoretical and practical concepts for the exercise of its technical role in the prevention of use; and
- how to proceed with the design, implementation and evaluation of effective and quality preventive interventions.
Meanwhile, Veronica Mapp-Alexander will focus on, ‘The Public Health Approach to Drug Policy’. This course focuses on strengthening the competencies of the national agencies responsible for drug policies, to facilitate the adoption of the Public Health approach – policies, whose formulation takes into account criteria of evidence and efficiency, timely technical evaluation, criteria of equity, respect for the health and human rights, community participation and a gender vision.
The courses are sponsored by COPOLAD, which is a cooperation programme between the European Union (EU) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). They are being conducted under the programme component, ‘Capacity-building in Drug Demand Reduction (DDR)’. The purpose of the courses is to strengthen the capacities of the competent authorities and other relevant agents of the CELAC countries, with the objective of consolidating the Drug Demand Reduction (DDR) policies, taking into account criteria of equity, evidence, sustainability and crosscutting core aspects.
Professionals from other Caribbean countries are also participating in the courses. Grenada has benefitted from several training initiatives conducted by COPOLAD during the past 2 years.
Drug Control Secretariat, Ministry of Education
