She said the event aims to reflect on the gains made by government in its efforts to rid the streets of the North West of drugs and drug lords.

“It has come to government’s attention that there is a high prevalence of nyaope addicts in Mothutlung and that is why we are using this day to intensify the war against drugs and those who sell these drugs to our people in this area.

“We should all bear in mind that drug abuse is a worldwide phenomenon and it occurs in almost every country, our country and more importantly, our province, the North West, is no exception,” Mokomele-Mothibi said.

She further noted that despite the existence of anti-drug trafficking laws in many of the United Nation’s member states, drug possession, sale and illegal use continues to have a negative impact on the socio-economic status of many countries.

The International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking was adopted in June 1987 by the United Nations’ Anti Drug Abuse Conference, that boldly proclaimed the world’s efforts to raise awareness of the fight against substance abuse and drug trafficking as well as to promote preventative measures all over the world.