“Treatment and Rehabilitation”, a Neglected Pillar in the War Against Illegal Drugs

DRUGS and CRIMES

In the Criminal Justice System, we have the FIVE PILLARS, namely: Law Enforcement, Prosecution, Courts, Correction and the Community.

In the war against Illegal Drugs we also have the FIVE PILLARS, namely: Supply Reduction, Demand Reduction, International Cooperation, Alternative Development Program and Treatment and Rehabilitation.

Treatment and Rehabilitation, just like Supply Reduction (arrest and prosecution of pushers and manufacturers of drugs), is an important pillar in the war against drugs. However, many of us have become callous and cold-hearted on addressing the problem of drug users. There are those who are vocal in saying that government just shoot and ignore the drug users and let them die of their dependency.

This is easy to say if we do not see the drug dependents as human beings or our brothers and sisters. Treatment and Rehabilitation Program is the least of the concern of local government officials even if the law (Section 51 of Republic Act 9165, Anti-Drugs Law of 2002) mandates that every local government unit shall appropriate a substantial portion of their annual budget giving priority to treatment and rehabilitation.

There are 80 provinces in the country, with 16 political regions, yet only 3 provinces have its own rehabilitation centers. There are even regions that have no rehab centers. The question then is, where do they place the drug dependents?

These drug users become the effective agents of networking or recruiting the youth as drug users, they do these by roaming in the streets and invading the homes, every minute convincing a person to become a drug dependent.

The purpose of rehabilitation is to keep drug users away from the streets and if possible treat them of their drug dependency. Just imagine, if we could put even just half of all the country’s drug users (in 2008, the estimated drug users amounts to 1.7 million), this would cause drug syndicates to close shop and stop their business.

This is so, because to non-drug users drugs such as shabu, marijuana, cocaine or ecstacy these are garbage but in the eyes of a drug user these are more important than oxygen, food and water.

Another challenge of Treatment and Rehabilitation aside from ACCESSIBILITY, (in Cebu, there is only one government rehab center, that is in Argao, this was built with the funds of Senator Vicente Sotto III in the late 1990’s, and for the female dorm in Mandaue City, the patients/residents comes not only from Central Visayas but from the other regions of Visayas and Mindanao) is AFFORDABILITY.

Government rehab centers, just like in Cebu, has a fee of P6,000 per month and entry fee totaling to P15,000 to P16,000. How could an ordinary employee afford to have a son or daughter or his wife or husband admitted in a rehab center? Private rehab centers asks for P20,000 to P50,000 per month. But this is not a problem to the rich, in fact our rehab centers are turning out to be a drop-in center or a courtesy booth for rich families.

There is no assurance that once a drug user will be admitted in a rehab center, his dependency will just easily go away. But the least objective is to make him/her away from drugs and prevent him/her from recruiting another person to use drugs.

Let us be vigilant and hope that our national and local government will see the light of giving attention and funds to drug dependency treatment and rehabilitation, the next victim may be your own son/daughter.

About the Author: Clarence Paul V. Oaminal is a lawyer and author of ‘The Textbook on The Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002’. He is the Vice-chairman and Undersecretary of the Dangerous Drugs Board and is the current adviser and presiding officer of Cebu City Anti-Drug Abuse Council. He also hosts the local advocacy program ‘Krimen ug Drugas’ in CCTN Channel 47.