Alternatives to incarceration of drug users sought

FILIPINO AND foreign stakeholders have adopted a declaration calling for expanded access to evidence-based health treatment for drug users and reforms towards a more efficient criminal justice system.

The Manila Declaration on Creating Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI) Systems in the Philippines was announced during a recent conference organized by the State Department, the Colombo Plan and the Quezon City government, the US Embassy in Manila said Tuesday.

The conference, from Dec. 5 to 9, gathered law enforcers, drugs and substance use professionals, civil society groups and other stakeholders who discussed emerging issues on addiction management, including the accreditation of treatment professionals, training service providers and community workers and ATI systems.

ATI systems are innovative treatment models that address drug use by reducing the risk of relapsing into criminal behavior, providing evidence-based treatment and ensuring adequate social integration.

Washington DC has been promoting programs designed to build capacity and train local communities in the Philippines to address drug-related issues.

“By spending our time to learn and share, we are making a sound investment and bridging pathways to ensure that friends, families, community members and society as a whole have what they need to not only survive, but to thrive,” State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Director Kelia Cummins said.

The Philippine Addiction Specialists Society, during the conference, was also introduced as the new representative body of the International Society of Substance Use Professionals in the Philippines, a development welcomed by no less than Dangerous Drugs Board Chair Catalino Cuy.

“We look forward to future partnerships in providing a safe and drug-free place for all,” he said.

“This is a welcome development as we assist the government address the gap in service providers, particularly physicians and rehabilitation workers,” he added. (Joyce Ann L. Rocamora)