Antigua and Barbuda Hosts Critical Drug Early Warning Workshop

The twin-island nation launched a two-day national workshop on early warning systems for drugs Monday, addressing the growing threat of new psychoactive substances (NPS) in the Caribbean region.

Attorney General Sir Steadroy Benjamin emphasized the workshop’s importance in keeping Antigua and Barbuda’s tourism brand of “sun, sand, sea, safety and security” intact. He warned the country cannot “bury our heads in the sand like an ostrich” about emerging drug threats.

The workshop, supported by the Organisation of American States (OAS) and funded by Italy, brings together regional experts from Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados, Jamaica, and St. Lucia to strengthen the country’s early warning system launched in October 2021.

The initiative comes as synthetic drugs and opioids like fentanyl have caused hundreds of thousands of deaths in North America, with concerning incidents already reported across the Caribbean, including 24 deaths in Argentina from cocaine laced with carfentanyl in 2023.

Workshop sessions will focus on coordination between agencies, forensic laboratory roles, and law enforcement strategies to detect and respond to new psychoactive substances before they reach the streets.