Pacific

Fiji youth group says talk required to stem drug abuse

15:10 pm on 12 August 2009

The Young People's Concerned Network in Fiji says young people must be consulted if the battle against drugs is to have an impact.

The police in Fiji have made a number of drug confiscations recently, with seizures of more than 500 dope plants from different farms in Fiji's outlying islands.

However the police say it's disheartening to see that the police efforts of community education has been falling on deaf ears.

The president of the Young People's Concerned Network Peter Waqavonovono says the government should start talking with young people about what the best ways of targetting youth could be.

"More than 60 percent of Fiji's population is made up of young people. This 60 percent is also the population that's maligned, that's disengaged from decision making the people who are making decisions they are just concentrating on themselves they forget to consult young people."

Peter Waqavonovono says young people will be able to give a lot of insight into why they turn to drugs - if they were just asked.