NCJ Number
202252
Date Published
2002
Length
24 pages
Annotation
This document presents information on the demand, prevention, supply, and control of illicit drugs on the islands of Antigua and Barbuda.
Abstract
A National Drug Prevalence Survey was conducted among students attending schools, training projects, and colleges. A total of 23 governmental schools participated in the survey, of which 14 were primary and 9 were secondary. A total of 1,714 students participated in the survey with a gender distribution of 43.7 percent males and 54.8 percent females. A total of 12.9 percent of the students reported that they have ever tried an illicit drug in their lifetime. The ages at which they first experimented with illicit drugs were 12 years (25.2 percent), 11 years (13 percent), and 13 years (9.5 percent). The only treatment and rehabilitation center in Antigua is the Crossroads Center, which opened in 1998. The facility provides services to men and women over the age of 18 that are experiencing problems related to alcohol and/or drug use. The mission is to provide treatment and education to the chemically dependent person, their families, and significant others. The treatment is provided through residential care, family program, aftercare program, and halfway house services. Crossroads provides a prevention program entitled “Breaking the Cycle” aimed at all third grade public and private school students. By virtue of its geographical location and significant sea and air traffic, Antigua and its territorial waters are perceived as conduits and transshipment sites for the international drug trade, which in turn facilitates a local supply of illegal drugs. Antigua and Barbuda are not sources of cocaine or cannabis. The small economy and limited financial resources place constraints on the governments’ capability to maintain effective patrol and interdiction of illicit traffic through its territorial waters. There is some reliance on assistance from larger, friendly nations that have the capacity to assist. The Immigration Department, Customs Department, Coast Guard, and Office of National Drug Control Policy are all involved with the control of persons, cargo, aircraft, and sagging vessels moving through ports of entry and territorial waters. 1 table, 1 figure, appendix