Prime Minister Andrew Holness says for countries to reduce drug trafficking in the region and other parts of the world, work needs to be done to stem to flow of guns.

“The war on drugs must be reciprocated, complimented, and fought in parallel with the war on guns. The two are the flip side of the same coin, so we no longer say the war on drugs, we are now saying the war to save lives not just from drugs and the abuse of drugs but also from the use and abuse of guns,” Holness said.

He was speaking at the 37th staging of the International Drug Enforcement Conference (IDEC) on Tuesday, September 19, in Montego Bay, St James.

“I would like to introduce a consideration to this robust governing body that the gun is a drug. Persons who are using drugs for a quick high, a quick fix, trying to find happiness in a pill are just the flip side of young men who are dispossessed trying to find power and respect looking down to the barrel of a gun. Many are addicted to it. If we really want to make an impact on the war on drugs or rather save lives we need to place similar efforts on tackling the accessibility, availability, and use of illegal weapons.

PRIME MINISTER ANDREW HOLNESS

The IDEC conference brings together law enforcement agencies, officials and other stakeholders from counties to discuss strategies to tackle drug trafficking and other related matters.