Residents of St Ann are being urged to confront substance abuse more deliberately by Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Christopher Tufton, as the issue is impacting families, children and the overall quality of life in several communities.

Dr Tufton emphasised that addressing substance abuse cannot be left to any one group, noting that families, schools, churches and community members all have a role to play in protecting young people from harmful influences.

“When it comes to our children, we as a community have to do more to give them the protection that they deserve,” he said.

The Minister was speaking at the reopening and handover ceremony of the Bamboo Community Health Centre in St Ann, on Friday, June 5.

He also urged residents to make healthier lifestyle choices and to consider the long-term consequences of substance misuse.

“The short-term pleasure from overconsumption or, indeed, consumption is not worth the long-term pain that will follow,” he cautioned.

Additionally, the minister said communities must be more vigilant in shielding children from negative influences, including those encountered through social media and peer interaction.

For her part, Regional Manager for the Northeast Region at the National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA), Nordia Henry, underscored the importance of prevention and family support in tackling substance abuse.

“The community, the family, is the foundation. It’s where learning begins, and it’s where we have to begin,” she noted.

Henry noted that the NCDA offers parenting programmes, school interventions and counselling services to guide children.

She pointed to the growing presence of ganja-infused edibles and alcohol-laced gummy bears among school-aged children and warned of their impact on academic performance, relationships and mental health.

Meanwhile, Medical Officer of Health for St Ann, Dr Tamieka Henry, said substance misuse remains a significant concern among young people who are still in their developmental stages.

‘Their brains are still developing, and so impulse control and decision-making are not so good when they’re taking these stimulants. When they’re taking these drugs, it further impairs that (decision-making), and so what we have been seeing are increases in our sexually transmitted infections,” she explained. She encouraged young people to choose healthy lifestyles, noting that the decisions they make today can have lasting implications for their future health and well-being.