The development and implementation of a Drug Policy for school moves forward, as Health and Family Life Education (HFLE) Coordinators and other stakeholders from across the Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM) meet January 21 to 23, in Saint Lucia.
The expected outcome of the three-day meeting is a draft Model School Drug policy.
The draft policy will be subsequently reviewed and validated by Member States before submission to the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD) for endorsement.
It is expected that the Model Policy will guide Member States in the formulation of their national policies, where necessary.
The meeting is organised into a number of plenaries. Setting the context in the first plenary will be presentations of the Report on Students’ Drug Use in 13 Caribbean Countries (2016) and the Implications of Marijuana Use on Adolescent Development.
The second plenary,Management of School Drug Use in the Caribbean will, among other issues, look at the challenges and windows of opportunities associated with the management of drug use in schools from the perspectives of different countries. A review of Grenada’s National School Drug Policy (2018-2023), will also be done.
The third and fourth plenaries: Crafting the Model School Drug Policy and Creating an Enabling Environment to support School Drug Policy, will respectively examine the components for excellence in learning in the Caribbean new school model. Legislation and the School Drug Policy and the way forward will also be central features of these plenaries.
The sessions are interactive and will be moderated by regional and international specialists in the various fields.
