Riya Bhagwan 
A major focus of the proposed Counter Narcotics Bill will be rehabilitation and community reintegration to reduce relapses.
Speaking during public consultations on the proposed bill in Lautoka this morning, Inspector Jemesa Lave from the Ministry of Policing highlighted that many offenders who serve time overseas eventually return to Fiji and fall back into drug use.
He says this could be addressed through a stronger focus on rehabilitation and reintegration.
Lave says the proposed bill would offer offenders the opportunity to choose rehabilitation both before and after arrest, strengthening long-term solutions to the country’s growing drug crisis.
He also reveals that discussions with the Fiji Corrections Service are underway to ensure rehabilitation pathways are available for drug inmates, as prisoners have raised serious concerns about the lack of support and programmes for offenders battling addiction.
He says the bill’s reintegration focus would also ensure that once drug users return to their communities, there are support pathways in place to prevent them from slipping back into substance abuse.
Lave also reflected on international policies and frameworks on rehabilitation and drug control, noting that while the proposed bill would draw inspiration from these models, it would be tailored to fit the Pacific context.
Public consultations on the proposed bill will continue next week.
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