The Department of Social Development launched the Anti-Substance Abuse Community Mobilisation Programme on 14 October 2010 under the theme: "No place for drugs in my community". The purpose of community mobilisation was to galvanise communities to take action in the fight against substance abuse.
The programme culminated into provincial summits, door to door campaigns and the 2nd Biennial Anti Substance Abuse Summit which was held in March 2011 in KwaZulu-Natal Province. The summit adopted a series of resolutions which resulted in the development of the Anti-Substance Abuse Programme of Action (POA).
The POA was approved by Cabinet on 21 September 2011. POA is a five year integrated plan developed to address the scourge of substance abuse in the country. It also advocates for the utilisation of multiple approaches to prevention of substance abuse across different discipline.
The aims of the programme of action are as follows:
- To develop policy, review and align liquor legislation
- To educate and create awareness on substance abuse
- To promote equal access to resources across South Africa
- To respond to policies and legislation with regard to drugs and organised crime
- To review institutional mechanisms to prevent and manage alcohol and drug use in the country
The National Department of Social Development will be briefing public service officials and members from the various Non-Governmental Organisations with regards to the Substance Abuse Strategy
The first briefing session will be held as follows:
Date: 14 February 2012
Venue: Provincial Office, main Boardroom, Mimosa Complex, Barkly Road, in Kimberley
Time: 09h00
Various stakeholders including the departments of Health, Police, Education, and Economic Development, Sports and Recreation, etc. have been invited to participate.
Enquiries:
Conrad Fortune at
Cell: 0798730679
