National Substance Abuse Advisory Council acting Chief Executive Josua Naisele

National Substance Abuse Advisory Council acting Chief Executive, Josua Naisele is concern over the absence of drug rehabilitation centers in Fiji.

While speaking at the Fiji Red Cross Youth Talanoa session, Naisele highlighted the current approach taken by the Council when dealing with students referred for substance abuse issues, particularly marijuana addiction.

Naisele says they provide initial contact counseling and, if necessary, refer cases to medical professionals for further treatment.

“Because the students that are brought in, they say, my first drug is marijuana, or my first drug is meth. They always start from the legal ones. So, the message that we need to take across with us when we go back, we must, in all platforms, stop our young people from taking illegal drugs like suki, cigarette, alcohol.”

Naisele is requesting for increased awareness and proactive measures to prevent students from engaging in substance abuse.

He is emphasizing on the importance of early intervention and the need for collective efforts to discourage the use of both legal and illegal substances among young people.