25 November 2014
A survey about drug-taking in Jersey launches this week. The online survey is aimed at all Islanders aged 16 and above, whether or not they have taken drugs, and is part of a major review of drug use on the Island.
Commissioned by Health and Social Services Department as part of the Building a Safer Society (BASS) strategy, the review will be carried out by a UK expert on substance misuse and aims to provide insights which will help shape the way drug use is tackled in Jersey.
Michael Gafoor, Director of the Island’s Alcohol & Drugs Service, said the review would have a particular emphasis on New Psychoactive Substances (NPS), still referred to by some as ‘legal highs’.
“The landscape has changed dramatically over the last decade, particularly since we first encountered NPS in 2007,” said Mr Gafoor. “We want to analyse what drugs are being used, and why, as well as the problems users are experiencing.”
Gill Hutchinson from BASS stated: "By obtaining evidence-based information we can develop the most effective prevention and treatment programmes, making sure Jersey has a robust drugs strategy for the future."
The Glasgow-based Centre for Drugs Misuse Research (CDMR) will be speaking to many of those involved in tackling drug-taking in the Island, and is seeking a wide range of responses via the online survey and other research.
Professor Neil McKegany, Director of the CDMR, said: "We hope many Islanders will take a few minutes to complete the survey, which can be done entirely anonymously. We will be analysing the results once the survey closes at the end of March 2015, at which point we will provide a report of the survey results."
gov.je