Nikhil Aiyush Kumar 
The development of the National Counter Narcotics Strategy brings a collaborative government approach to tackling drug problems, with a strong emphasis on grassroots and school-level solutions.
Commissioner Central Josefo Navuku stressed this at the launch of the week-long Drug-Free Awareness Campaign.
Navuku says that they have also involved members of civil society, like the Fiji Council of Churches, various government ministries, religious bodies, and some international development partners, to address this systemically.
He adds the main objective of this is to strengthen enforcement, and the other is to look at the laws to help provide safeguards to society.
“But the idea put forward by the Narcotics Committee is to have four divisional drug awareness weeks, starting with the central division. We have now entered the second quarter of the financial year. The central division serves as the pilot for the other three divisions.”
Navuku says that this is a national initiative targeting all the divisions through talanoa sessions, awareness presentations, and community outreach by stakeholders.
He says that the police force will also be conducting outreach and visiting communities to talk about the realities of drug and substance abuse.
The commissioner central also hopes that parents, guardians, and children will come out in numbers to attend this and gain valuable insights on how they can contribute to the drug issue.
