Saint Lucia Launches New Initiative To Combat Illegal Drugs

On Wednesday, Saint Lucia officially launched an Early Warning System (EWS) to monitor and respond to drug-related threats and trends on the island. Stakeholders across Saint Lucia and in the Americas collaborated on the project. Unlike a physical system or software, the EWS is a coordinated network of experts and agencies working together to improve public health and safety through timely alerts and warnings. A key function of the system is that alerts will be issued when troubling health-related trends are recognised that appear to be related to the use of illegal drugs. These systems have already demonstrated their value in detecting and addressing emerging drug threats in the Caribbean. Pernel Clarke, Research Specialist with the Inter-American Drug Control Commission (CICAD), cited cases where EWS in other islands identified and warned the public about dangerous substances. Clarke told  St. Lucia Times, “We have cases where in Barbados, they detected something called synthetic cannabinoids which is being used in the country but the users thought that they were using plain, old cannabis. It wasn’t cannabis. A synthetic cannabinoid is actually a substance made in a lab. It is sprayed on vegetable matter and you smoke it. It is very, very dangerous....