DOH exec says government not winning drug war

CEBU, Philippines - A Department of Health-7 official yesterday admitted that the government is “not winning the war” it waged against illegal drug use and trade, which is one of the priorities of the Duterte administration.

DOH-7 medical officer Dino Caing said that while the health department is busy rehabilitating drug dependents, illegal substances such as marijuana, shabu, and cocaine still continue to penetrate the region.

“Are we winning the (drug) war? No. We are not winning the war. DOH is doing everything (in terms of demand reduction through rehabilitation and treatment) but ang supply sige gihapon, kinilo pa man gani. But that is the job of the police,” he told a media forum.

Caing is in charge of the Dangerous Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment Program of DOH-7.

He even noted that the Visayas region has the highest illegal drugs use rate followed by the National Capital Region and then Mindanao.

He lamented that after rehabilitating a batch of drug dependents, new ones arrive or that the rehabilitated dependents return because they got hooked again on illegal drugs since supply is still available.

These was one of the salient discussions brought up during the media forum organized by Cebuplus Association, Inc. and the Philippine Information Agency aimed at tackling current national drug policies.

The forum also sought to promote the global campaign “Support Don’t Push” that calls for changes in existing drug laws, such as the decriminalization of low-level, non-violent drug offenses and for investments in effective harm reduction responses for people who use drugs.

Forum panelist Gloria Lai, senior policy officer of International Drug Policy Consortium, said that the campaign aims to call out the attention of authorities for them to put an end to the “war on drugs” and “end the criminalization of drug use.”

She said that drug use itself should not be treated as a criminal offense but rather as a public health issue, which was why they support more government actions that promote harm reduction approaches and greater government funding for health services.

Believing that drug users should not be held criminally liable for any offense, Caing said they presume them as “liars” who usually deny links to the illegal drug trade, noting that most drug users also peddle illegal drugs. (FREEMAN)