In the final programme of the series, Neil Nunes looks back at what he’s discovered and forward to the future of the fight against drugs in the Caribbean. Is there one key approach that the Caribbean should consider in its response to the problems raised by drugs? The programme will be broadcast on local stations from Monday 29th March, and on BBC Caribbean Magazine on Friday 2nd April at 11.16 GMT.
One of Neil’s impressions of drug abuse in the Caribbean was that there are more male addicts than female addicts.
Karissa McCarter, the director of the Teen Challenge rehabilitation centre in Jamaica, says that this may be to do with the fact that men who abuse drugs lose their means of support much more quickly than women in the same situation.
Terence Fountaine, a researcher from the Bahamas, says that there are many women users and they often don’t complete rehab.
Neil also found that there are a wide variety of attitudes towards marijuana in the Caribbean. He spoke to dancehall artist
Beenie Man about the way that ganja seems to be promoted in some reggae songs. Beenie Man rejects the idea that music encourages young people to try weed. He has actually given up smoking ganja to help keep his lungs in shape, and also to concentrate on being a good father for his kids. He still has the occasional cup of ganja tea to “calm his nerves” before writing a song.
In wrapping up the series,
Neil Nunes talks about his lasting impressions of the Caribbean's fight against drugs. It struck him that reading about the problems of drug addiction is very different to meeting someone who is struggling to get off drugs. It made him realise that drug users are just normal people – addiction can happen to anyone. He was amazed by the people he met who are determined to tackle the problem of drug abuse in their communities, despite working in difficult circumstances.
