On 24 June, in the frame of the celebration of the United Nations International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking (26 June)*, the FDFE Representative was invited as well as a Medical Doctor, specialist of the Work medicine and also President of a Drug prevention association*, to give their viewpoints on this subject that is regularly part of the news. The moderator (MC) was the Say No To Drugs Belgium Coordinator I/C, Julie*.
After a welcome of the public, in the respect of the legal social distanciation, the MC opened the subject with a short video from EMCDDA* which covered all the key aspects of the subject in Europe. Then she presented all the fact based educative materials that can be used to preventively inform the youth on the harmful effects of 14 different drugs.
The floor was then given to the MD who explained the impact of cannabis use on health of adults, but also on youngsters impairing the memory, lost of IQ as well as the subsequent illnesses of use such as schizophrenia, cancers, etc.
The FDFE Rep went in, describing the why of presence of drugs both in the vegetal and animal reigns and their action on specific parts of the brain leading to addiction. He mentioned also that cannabis is for the youth the entrance gate to the destructive world of drugs.
Then this was the time for a Q & A session with an audience very interested and eager to better understand why harmful substances are nowadays invading the social stuff despite International Conventions and national legislation.
Altogether this was a 2 hours interactive gathering!
(*) More data:
-“Share Facts on Drugs Save lives” (UNODC logo for 26 June 2021)
-www.preventsasbl.com
-www.ditesnonaladrogue.be (Flemish and French)
-https://www.emcdda.europa.eu/media-library/video-eu-drug-markets-report-2019-highlights
Thank you for reading and interest
