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Drug Dependence

The document discusses the history of drug dependence and abuse in the Philippines from 1965 to 2022. It outlines key developments and laws passed to address the issue, including the creation of agencies to enforce drug laws and rehabilitate drug users. The document also provides information on current treatment and rehabilitation centers in the country and the role of social workers in assisting those facilities.

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Lotchie Mae Vencer
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42 views19 pages

Drug Dependence

The document discusses the history of drug dependence and abuse in the Philippines from 1965 to 2022. It outlines key developments and laws passed to address the issue, including the creation of agencies to enforce drug laws and rehabilitate drug users. The document also provides information on current treatment and rehabilitation centers in the country and the role of social workers in assisting those facilities.

Uploaded by

Lotchie Mae Vencer
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Drug

Depend
ence
Drug abuse is a general term that
includes all drug- taking. It is the use of
any drug (legal or illegal) when it is
detrimental to the user's physical,
emotional, social, intellectual, or
spiritual well-being. It is also known as
"substance abuse."
Drug dependents - are persons who,
as a result of periodic or continuous use of
drugs (usually in the form of sedatives,
stimulants, and hallucinogens), have
developed a physical and/or psychological
need for/dependence on these drugs to the
extent that their denial produces adverse
effects on themselves.
Addict - The person that
preoccupied with the acquisition and
compulsive use of drugs despite its
negative consequences.
Drug dependence has been an area of concern among law-
enforcement agencies, civic-minded citizens, and organizations
since the mid-sixties. It is reported to have caused 70% of the
nation's total number of heinous crimes, clogging the court dockets
and congesting jails in the country. The DDB Drug Survey in 2019
showed that after President Duterte launched a massive crackdown
drug use, the number of drug users in the country declined more
than 50% from four (4) million in 2016 to 1.67 million in 2019 (two
out of 100 Filipinos aged 10-69 were found to be using illegal
drugs). In 2021, there were 41,500 reported cases involving illegal
drugs, 12,400 of which were reported by the National Capital
Region regional police office. The most abused drugs in the country
is methamphetamine hydrochloride or "shabu," followed by
marijuana or cannabis saliva.
The important developments that have taken place
in this area of concern are the following:

1965
Creation of the Narcotics Section of the National
Bureau of Investigation (under the Department of
Justice) and the establishment of the Treatment &
Rehabilitation Center in Tagaytay.
1967

Organization of the Narcotics Foundation


of the Philippines by civic-minded
citizens.
1968

Enactment of Republic Act 5461 which


provided for rehabilitation services to special
groups including drug dependents, (with the
responsibility being assigned to the Bureau of
Vocational Rehabilitation under the Department
of Social Welfare).
1969

Signing of a Memorandum of Agreement


between the Department of Justice and the
Department of Social Welfare defining the two
government agencies' respective responsibilities
in relation to drug dependents.
1971

Bahay Pag-asa, a drug rehabilitation center, was


opened under the leadership of Rev. Fr. Robert
M. Garon.
1972

R.A. No. 6425 was passed, defining what


Prohibited drugs are, penalties for the offenders,
educational and rehabilitation measures, and
suspension of sentence for the offender, resulting
in the creation of the Dangerous Drugs Board.
1980

March 15: President Marcos signed Presidential


Decree No. 1683 making capital offenses
(punishable by life imprisonment or death) the
illegal importation, manufacture and distribution
of regulated drugs, and provided the maximum
penalty for them.
2002

The "Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002" (R.A.


No. 9165) repealed the Dangerous Drugs Act of 1972
(R.A. No. 6425) on June 7, 2022, creating the Philippine
Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) as the implementing
arm of the DDB. The DDB is the body for the planning
and formulation of the policies and programs on drug
prevention and control," while the PDEA is "responsible
for the efficient and effective law enforcement of all
provisions on any dangerous drug or controlled precursor
and essential chemical" (Section 77, R.A. No. 9165).
2016

Executive Order No. 15, 2016, ordered the creation of the Inter-Agency Committee on
Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD) to unify, integrate, and synchronize anti-drug efforts and
strategies to holistically address the present gaps and issues encountered by various
agencies mandated to implement anti-drug laws and policies; chaired by the PDEA, it is
composed of 20 members each with a specific role in the fight against illegal drugs; the
DSWD is one of the 20. The ICAD has four (4) clusters that focus on its major functions:
1) Enforcement, 2) Justice, 3) Advocacy, and 4) Rehabilitation and Reintegration. The
DSWD and the Department of Health co-chair the fourth cluster which is responsible for
the formulation of policies and programs for the reintegration of Recovering Persons Who
Used Drugs (RPW-UDs). A massive national campaign against illegal drugs was launched
under the commitment of newly installed President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, "to minimize, if
not eliminate drug and substance abuse, towards the goal of attaining a comfortable,
peaceful, and just society the state of the country he envisions."
2017

The DSWD formulated the "Yakap Bayan Framework of Intervention," a


cyclical rehabilitation and reintegration framework for strategic and
coordinated provision of services to Recovering Persons Who Use Drugs
(RPWUDs), their families, and their communities. The Bayan Program
"provides a concrete course of actions that will guide the Anti-Drug Abuse
Councils (ADACs) which, through their organized LGU Reintegration
Team shall implement the program and dedicate/hire social workers who
will serve as case managers." The Local Social Welfare Development
Office (LSWDO) serves as the head of the LGU Reintegration Team to
directly implement the program in partnership with concerned agencies."
The alarming increase in the number of drug users and abusers in the country has
resulted in the increased number of treatment and rehabilitation facilities. As of
February 2022, the Department of Health reported that there is a total of 73 DOH-
Accredited Treatment and Rehabilitation Centers (DATRCs) nationwide, of which
thirty (30) are government-operated and forty-three (43) are private facilities.
These DATRCs are either residential or non-residential (i.e., providing outpatient
services). Non-residential centers require one part-time social worker. Residential
centers require one social worker for every twenty-five (25) clients. The DATRCs
Manual of Operations has the following job description for full-time social
workers:

1.) Assists the physician in the formulation of a treatment plan and offer
care and follow-up program;
2.) Conducts home visitation of patients as need arises;
3.) Provides counseling to patients and their co- dependents;

4.) Conducts social case study of all patients and prepares subsequent
reports;

5.) Prepares progress reports documents; and other documents;

6.) Provides follow-up domiciliary service to patients; and

7.) Performs other duties and functions relevant to the position.


Many of these agencies and institutions employ social
workers in administrative or supervisory positions, and/or
direct work with dependents, the latter being done almost
always with a team composed of professionals from other
disciplines like medicine and psychology.

As programs and services for drug dependents are improved


and developed, we may expect the demand for social
workers in this field to increase.

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