NCDA marks 40th anniversary

Deputy mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Richard Vernon, has commended the National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA) for its work in preventing drug abuse in the island.

Councillor Vernon was addressing the NCDA’s 40th anniversary awards ceremony, which was held at the Chateau Margarita Waterfront Hotel in Unity Hall, St James, recently.

“Those 40 years would not have been possible without the hard work of the people who would have been assigned the task to carry out the mandate, [which is] a tall order without the dedication of all of you who are sitting here,” he said.

The NCDA was established in 1983 as a voluntary non-profit organisation.

The enactment bill of 1991 vested the body with the power to formulate and develop plans and projects for the prevention of drug abuse, and its abatement and rehabilitation of drug abuse victims.

Councillor Vernon underscored the importance of local authorities working with agencies to rectify various issues at the community level.

“What we seek to do as a country is to work together and, as we realise our more inherent problems, our vulnerabilities and our challenges, it is important that local authorities work closely with national bodies such as this one,” the deputy mayor said.

“We must keep localising our operations, because problems are in our communities – we know them, we live beside them, we see them, many different challenges. Oftentimes we operate as if the challenges are separated from us. We must start working together,” Councillor Vernon emphasised.

As part of the ceremony, some 15 NCDA youth ambassadors from across the western region were appointed to assist in the agency’s thrust to prevent drug abuse among their peers. This group is the second batch of youth ambassadors to be appointed.

Executive director of the NCDA, Michael Tucker, congratulated the youth ambassadors on their appointment, noting that the work they will be doing is imperative. “You will be targeting your peers and talking to them about issues surrounding drug abuse, protecting them from it, and giving them the sort of guidance that will keep them from abusing drugs,” he outlined.

As part of the celebrations, stakeholders who have contributed to the growth of the agency were also recognised.

- JIS