CENTRAL DRUG AUTHORITY VICE CHAIRPERSON MR DAVID BAYEVER

28/2/2007

PRESENTATION ON THE CDA ACHIEVEMENTS AND

CHALLENGES

Outline of the presentation

• Purpose of the presentation• Background• The extent of substance abuse problem• Powers and duties of the CDA• Achievements of the CDA• 1st Substance Abuse Summit• Challenges• Conclusion

Purpose of the presentation

Purpose of presentation:• To inform the Parliamentary

Committee on the achievements, challenges and plans of the Central Drug Authority (CDA)

Background

• The Central Drug Authority was established in terms of the Prevention and Treatment of Drug Dependency Act, Act No. 20 of 1992

• Members of the CDA are appointed by Minister and consist of representatives from 14 Government departments and entities and also 12 from the private sector, who are experts in the field of substance abuse

The extent of substance abuse problem in South Africa

• Between 3% and 4% of South Africans abuse drugs (Rocha-Silva, 1998). That is, between 1.5 and 1.75 million people, with the numbers growing every year.

• In comparison to the above-mentioned situation, world-wide there are over 30 million people who abuse drugs

The extent of Substance abuse problem cont

• South Africa is experiencing a massive increase in drug abuse and the age at which abuse starts is dropping all the time

• The numbers of addicts and dependents are growing alarmingly

• Indicators are that between one-to-ten of South Africans suffer from an alcohol-related problem

• Further one-in-four pre-teens have experimented with psychoactive drugs

• The high-risk group is aged between 10 and 21 years of age

Powers and duties of the CDA

• In terms of the present Act, the CDA is expected to do the following:

• Shall give effect to the National Drug Master Plan in accordance with the guidelines set out therein;That is, CDA must make it happen

• Shall advise the Minister on any matter affecting the abuse of drugs referred to the [Board] Drug Authority by the Minister and on any matter on which the [Board] Drug Authority considers it necessary to advise the Minister

Powers and duties of the CDA

• May plan, coordinate and promote measures relating to the prevention and combating of the drugs and the treatment of persons dependent on drugs in accordance with the National Drug Master Plan

• Shall review the National Drug Master Plan every five years and submit to cabinet for approval

• May [with the approval of the Minister] arrange conferences relating to matters concerning the functions of the [Board] Drug Authority

• May exercise such powers and shall perform such duties as may be determined by the Minister from time to time

Achievements of the CDA

• Facilitated the establishment of nine Provincial Substance Abuse Forums

• Developed Terms of Reference for the provincial substance abuse forums and local drug action committees

• Tabled CDA Annual report with the Department of Social Development and the actual report is being printed

• Some departments submitted their Mini Drug Master Plans for their inclusion in the CDA Annual report

• Those that did not submit their reports are: the Department of Trade and Industry,Labour,Health, MCC, Foreign Affairs and Safety and Security Secretariat.

Achievements cont

• National Drug Master Plan approved by cabinet, printed and distributed to stakeholders

• CDA Business plan developed and the budget is available for the CDA business

• On the 4th to 5th September, 2006 the CDA held a workshop to familiarize the National Departments and the provinces on the Mini Drug Master Plan and reporting framework

CDA Achievements cont

• Kwa Zulu Natal CDA representatives participated on the International Day Against Drug Trafficking and Illicit Drugs, in Umbumbulu on 26th June 2006. The theme for the day was “Drugs are not child’s play”

• Integration and collaboration was promoted

Achievement cont.

Local Drug Action Committees are established as follows:• Eastern Cape – 12• Free State – 08• Gauteng – 05• Kwazulu-Natal – Nil• Limpopo – Nil• Mpumalanga – 09• Northern Cape – Nil• North West – 25 (in all municipalities)• Western Cape - Nil

Substance Abuse Summit

• The Directorate Substance Abuse and the Central Drug Authority, under the Chief Directorate – Welfare Services Transformation, and the departments represented in the Central Drug Authority hosted the 1st Substance Abuse Summit from the 11th to 14th February 2007.

• The theme for the summit was “forging effective partnerships and striving for a drug free society”

• The main purpose of the summit was to create awareness about the problem of abuse of substances in the country.

• Research

Summit cont

• The summit provided a platform for policy makers, politicians, donors, development agencies, civil society organizations and government officials to share lessons and experiences in the field of substance abuse

• The summit had five tracks: demand reduction and prevention; supply reduction; early intervention and community involvement; policy and legislation and treatment and aftercare.

Summit cont

• 400 delegates attended the summit including SADC countries’ representatives

• The summit was well supported and integration and collaboration in service delivery was promoted

• It is important to note that resources were saved, as departments and civil society worked together

• The summit was successful and more people who are affected by substance abuse telephone the CDA for various advises such as referrals to treatment facilities and also their wish to participate in the existing programmes in their provinces

• The CDA fulfilled its mandate of coordinating government departments to combat and prevent substance abuse

Summit cont

• Resolution1: There is a need to conduct a meta-analysis of research in the field of substance abuse in South Africa (NGOs, CBOs, FBOs, Social Development, CDA)

• Resolution 2: Due to porous nature of our borders and the strategic position of South Africa for the trafficking of drugs we need to put measures in place to strengthen our border posts (SARS, Home Affairs, SAPS, Correctional Services, Foreign Affairs, Justice and Constitutional development)

Summit: Resolution cont

• Resolution 3: With the advent of advanced technology cyber (internet) –crime is on the increase, such as the availability of prescription and other drugs (SAPS, Correctional Services, SARS, Home Affairs, Labour, Justice)

• Resolution 4: The CDA engage with the department of Health and other appropriate departments to formulate a policy on alcohol use and abuse, including issues of advertising and age restrictions, amongst other (CDA, Social development, Health, Education, Labour, The DTI)

Summit resolutions cont

• Resolution 5: Review the intervention strategies in substance abuse with a view to determining the most appropriate modalities for use in South Africa (CDA, The Trade and Industry, Health, Education)

• Resolution 6: Substance abuse should not be dealt with in isolation but in the context of all maladaptive behavioural disorders and social ills-HIV and AIDs; gambling, human trafficking (CDA, Justice, Correctional services, SAPS, Home Affairs)

• Resolution 7: There is a need for a social mobilization campaign at individual, family, community, national and international levels aimed at raising awareness and prevention of substance abuse (Social Development, Education)

Summit resolution cont

• Resolution 8: Ke Moja as a national awareness programme targeting the youth, needs to be strengthened and there will be liaison with other initiatives such as but not limited to SANCA, Love life, and Soul City to maximize collaboration (Social Development, Health, Education, SANCA (NGOs), CBOs, FBOs)

• Resolution 9: Existing partnerships need to be strengthened and agreements with new , willing partners to be finalized ( CDA)

• Resolution 10: There is a need to strengthen the CDA support structures such as the Provincial Forums and to consolidate the establishment of the Local Drug Action Committees (CDA)

Summit resolutions cont

• Resolution 11: There is a need for a specific integrated intervention programme aimed at the prevention of substance abuse amongst children (Social development, Education, Health, CBOS; NGOs and FBOs)

• Resolution 12: To assess the nature and extent of substance abuse in the workplace and the strengthen the existing programmes (Department of Social development, Labour)

• Resolution 13: Utilize opportunities, for example major sporting events such as but not limited to 2010 World Cup, by linking the national sport bodies to create awareness about substance abuse and existing resources (Department Sports and Recreation, Education and SANCA)

Summit resolutions cont

• Resolution 14: Audit of existing services and resources in order to identify gaps and ensure accessibility, affordability and gender sensitivity of such services to all vulnerable groups (Department of Social Development)

• Resolution 15: Review and consolidate technical and financial support of NGOs in the field of substance abuse with special emphasis on rural areas (Departments- Social development, Education and Health)

• Resolution 16: Monitoring by the CDA of the implementation of the resolutions for report back at the 2nd Biennial Substance Abuse Summit in 2009 (CDA)

Challenges and solutions

• Delayed submission of Mini Drug Master Plans and reports by departments and entities affected overall reporting mechanism

• The issue was addressed through the Director-Generals of the affected departments and have promised to submit Mini Plans and reports on time

Challenges and solutions cont

• Most provinces had not yet established Local Drug Action Committees (LDACs)

• Provinces that had not established the LDACs will commence with the task of establishing the LDACs as resources have been made available in their budgets

• The status of substance abuse has been elevated in the provinces and dedicated staffs have been appointed for substance abuse line function

Challenges

• No enforcement clause for the CDA to ensure that departments deliver on their mandate

• The Prevention and Treatment of Drug Dependency Bill to address the issue

• High turnover of CDA representation from some departments represented in the CDA hampers service delivery

• To address the issue of high turnover of CDA representation with Director-General Cluster through the Department of Social Development

Conclusion

• The implementation of the National Drug Master Plan is possible if resources could be made available when required

• Reports from provinces and National departments represented in the CDA are valuable for timeously reporting to parliament

• Departments and entities be encouraged to prioritize the issues of substance abuse in the country and allocate resources

Conclusion

• Thank you for the invitation and your attention