THE war against illegal drugs is not a war that the government needs to fight alone. With what one is up against in this very war and the short and long-term repercussion of losing in the same, the drug war in the Philippines should be fought by all Filipinos at all levels and sectors of our society.
It is easy to say that we are against illegal drugs but it is difficult to “walk the talk.”
Republic Act No. 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 provides that it shall be among the duties of the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) to design and develop drug abuse prevention program in the workplace jointly with the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE), and in consultation with labor and employer groups and non-governmental organizations.
While the DDB and DoLE have made actions on this matter, it is clear that more needs to be done.
Given the current situation of our country on the illegal drug problem, more aggressive efforts for having drug-free workplaces and schools will mean winning a significant battle in this war against illegal drugs.
If need be, all private workplaces and schools need to be certified as drug-free as a condition for their continued operations. Funding for government workplaces and schools should be hinged on it being drug-free.
While these are extreme actions, they can effectively address the drug problem in our country because these will “shrink the world” of drug users as they will be forced to either quit their jobs/abandon their studies or stop the use of illegal drugs altogether.
While the current Administration has been aggressive in cutting the supply of drugs in our country by going after smalltime and big time pushers and traders of illegal drugs, more aggressive actions on having drug-free workplaces and schools will be effective in reducing the demand for illegal drugs.
If the government is unable to adopt policies that will make having drug-free workplaces and schools mandatory, private and public organizations, including non-government organizations and schools should take the initiative of institutionalizing drug-free workplace/school policies and programs in their respective organizations.
If green organizations are able to enjoy competitive advantage for their environmental protection and conservation advocacies, business organizations can also gain such advantage if they can claim that they are drug-free.
In the case of government or public organizations, it is clear that being drug-free is required of them because being one means serving the interest of the public, which is their fundamental mandate.
In not being drug-free, private and public organizations, including schools, are not owning up the responsibility of winning the war against illegal drugs.
