The Impact of Unemployment on Drug Addiction in Barbados: National Council on Substance Abuse Report Reveals Concerning Statistics

By Sheria Brathwaite

Marijuana appears to be the drug of choice for many out-of-work Barbadians, according to the latest research from the National Council on Substance Abuse (NCSA).

But a researcher for the public drug treatment agency suggested that better job prospects and tools to help people hold down jobs could help lift them out of a vicious cycle of unemployment and drug addiction.

Among the findings in its Barbados Drug Information Network (BARDIN) Report which was released on Wednesday at the NCSA’s Belleville, St Michael office, 242 people sought NCSA’s drug rehabilitation services primarily for marijuana, crack cocaine and alcohol addiction, and half of them were unemployed.

Of the 242 seeking rehab, 80.2 per cent were males while 19.8 were females; 62.8 per cent were 40 years old and under and 37.2 per cent were 41 years or older.

“Unemployment continues to be a dominant characteristic of persons seeking drug treatment in Barbados,” said NCSA research and information officer Laura Foster. “Being employed can make the difference between long-term sobriety and relapse as it provides critical recovery building blocks. Employment alleviates financial insecurity, increasing access to housing and enabling an individual’s ability to meet their basic needs; these are fundamental for success in treatment and recovery. Employment [also] provides structure and can increase self-esteem and improve moods, which can serve as buffers against relapse.”

Calling for a multi-prong approach to increasing the job prospects for recovering addicts, Foster said job training, education opportunities and skill development should be part of drug treatment and aftercare programmes. She also urged partnerships between treatment facilities and corporate Barbados to facilitate employment, internship and apprenticeship opportunities for clients and the establishment of a national job assistance programme specifically for people in recovery, along with a national push for workplace drug policies.

Of the 5 803 crimes reported to The Barbados Police Service in 2022, 360 or 21 per cent were drug-related; one-third of those crimes were committed by males while 17 per cent by females and most of those offences (38.3 per cent) were done by people aged 20 to 29.

Just over 90 per cent of the drug-related cases were cannabis-related.

Police figures also revealed that most of the 669 drug seizures were for marijuana: 336 compressed cannabis seizures amounting 4 476 kilogrammes; a total of 49 102 plants seized in 130 operations and 164 loose cannabis seizures totalling 3 174.345 kilogrammes.

But only 11 per cent of those jailed in 2022 were for drug-related offences, mainly drug possession and drug importation infractions.

Foster told reporters: “Marijuana has captured the attention of treatment professionals and the supply control sector since the publication of the first BARDIN report in 2013. Eleven years later, the situation remains the same. Prior to the recent relaxation of marijuana-related legislation, the legal position required a zero-tolerance approach to the substance. The legislative changes, the increasing societal acceptance of marijuana, the declining perception of harm associated with the drug, and the ease of access necessitate a different approach – a harm reduction approach.

“Harm reduction involves the use of approaches designed to reduce the harms – physical, health or legal – associated with the use of a drug. The intention is to save lives and protect the health of people who use drugs and their communities while simultaneously destigmatising addiction. It shifts the focus from the drug and the view that drug use is a moral failing to the consequences/effects of the behaviour.”

Examples of harm reduction measures include implementing legislation to criminalise marijuana intoxication while driving, roadside testing for marijuana-impaired driving and public education about the dangers of marijuana-impaired driving, she suggested.

The NCSA researcher warned of the potential harms of marijuana use, including marijuana-related motor vehicle and other accidents; marijuana dependence; mental illness induced or exacerbated by marijuana use; risky sexual behaviour; and respiratory effects such as poor lung capacity, difficulty breathing and chronic bronchitis.

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