Anti-Drug Fight: Progress, Ambitions, and Gaps
Title: Anti-Drug Fight: Progress, Ambitions, and Gaps
Content: As the release of the new National Drug Control Master Plan for 2026-2030 approaches, it is important to reflect on the promises and failures of the previous plan from 2019-2023, which an independent evaluation reveals to have mixed results.
On Thursday, April 30, the Mauritian government will unveil the new National Drug Control Master Plan for 2026-2030. This announcement comes at a time when drug issues are continuously evolving and becoming more complex. With synthetic drugs ravaging a segment of the Mauritian youth, the imprisonment of simple users is increasingly being questioned. Additionally, the debate over the legalization or decriminalization of cannabis is increasingly entering the public sphere, with some viewing it as a potential solution to the rise of synthetic substances. Before moving forward, it is useful to examine what the previous plan promised and what it achieved.
An Ambitious Plan
Developed in 2018-2019 with support from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the National Drug Control Master Plan (NDCMP) 2019-2023 was a clear national roadmap driven by a vision to build "a safer and healthier Republic of Mauritius, with effective drug control policies." With an indicative total budget of Rs 1.378 billion over five years, the plan proposed an integrated approach centered around four strategic pillars, complemented by cross-cutting themes - capacity building, human rights, and gender considerations.
In terms of supply reduction, the plan included strengthening border controls at airports, ports, and postal services. This would involve acquiring scanners, drones, and sniffer dogs, enhancing the anti-drug unit (Adsu), and establishing a national intelligence-sharing platform among agencies. International cooperation agreements were to be signed with Interpol, UNODC, the World Customs Organization, and the Southern African Development Community, while money laundering laws were to be strengthened to dismantle traffickers' financial networks.
For demand reduction, a standardized national prevention program was to target 12-14 year-olds in schools, out-of-school youth, and vulnerable groups. Standardized treatment protocols involving doctors, psychologists, social workers, and peer educators were to be developed, along with expanding services in regional hospitals, prisons, and NGOs. A residential center for young men aged 12 to 22 was also planned.
Regarding risk reduction, the plan aimed to expand methadone substitution therapy. New distribution points were planned in primary health centers and pharmacies to broaden coverage for around 10,000 injectable drug users. The syringe exchange program was to be strengthened with an annual target distribution of 700,000 kits, and risk reduction units were to be created in prisons.
On the coordination and governance front, the plan established a National Drug Secretariat (NDS) responsible for monitoring all activities, as well as a national drug observatory to produce annual statistical reports. Legislative reforms, including a revision of the Dangerous Drugs Act and laws related to money laundering, were also envisioned.
What Worked
The independent evaluation conducted at the end of 2023 by international consultant Marie Claire Van Hout, aimed at guiding the next plan, acknowledges several advancements. The plan was relevant to the evolving drug market, particularly with the proliferation of new psychoactive substances, which are gradually replacing heroin among young people.
The establishment of the NDS is highlighted as a major advancement. Synergies among agencies - law enforcement, customs, forensic laboratory, anti-corruption efforts, and regional maritime cooperation with Réunion, Madagascar, Seychelles, Mozambique, and Tanzania - are deemed strong. The Mauritian forensic laboratory is recognized as a reference in East Africa for the detection of synthetic drugs.
In prison, the methadone substitution program at Beau-Bassin prison is described as "very effective," with a micro-elimination of hepatitis C achieved within that facility. Legislatively, the amendment of the Dangerous Drugs Act in 2022 and the creation of the Drug Users Administrative Panel - which directs individuals arrested for possession towards care rather than incarceration - are noted as significant advancements according to the evaluation report.
What Did Not Work
However, significant gaps have been identified, and the evaluation's conclusions are unequivocal on several points. The most glaring weakness is in monitoring and evaluation. Most agencies merely state their activities as "ongoing" without quantitative data, making it impossible to measure impact on beneficiaries. As one participant in the evaluation interviews summarized, "Impact measurement is absent; there is no way to verify the number of beneficiaries; activities are 'ongoing' in reports. A common platform is needed."
Prevention suffers from a critical lack of coordination. Programs such as Get Connected, Unplugged, Line Up Live Up, and Rebound lack a standardized curriculum and longitudinal evaluation. Stakeholders often work in silos with sometimes conflicting messages. "Effectiveness is compromised by competing messages between NGO and government prevention programs," notes one participant in the report. Although a national drug prevention committee was established in 2020 to harmonize efforts, challenges remain in appointing a clear leader.
New Challenges
The treatment of community addiction presents serious operational issues, the document also indicates. There are long wait times at distribution sites, restrictive hours at police stations (from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m.), insufficient methadone doses, loss of follow-up, and methadone diversion. "Seeing multiple healthcare professionals hinders adherence to addiction treatment. Distribution is done by a nurse in crowded conditions with risks of diversion. Methadone distribution should occur in primary care settings to maximize support and follow-up for patients, which would also reduce stigma," highlights a professional. No evaluation of pilot projects - decentralization, distribution in plastic cups to limit diversion, take-home doses - has been carried out.
On the health front, despite a decrease in HIV, the prevalence of hepatitis C remains alarming among injectable drug users: approximately 89% among men and 88% among women, with HIV/hepatitis C co-infection exceeding 90%.
Rehabilitation and social reintegration remain the weakest aspects of the system. Private sector involvement is nearly non-existent, and post-treatment or post-incarceration follow-up programs remain insufficient. "Rehabilitation is unrealistic when the pervasive availability of drugs, poverty, and gender-based violence are not addressed," remarks one stakeholder.
Several vulnerable groups are not adequately addressed according to the report: female drug users - whose consumption is increasing - young people under 30 who represent 50% of users, children of prisoners, immigrants, and the homeless.
The evaluation also notes emerging trends that the next plan must incorporate. There is the emergence of crystal methamphetamine and fentanyl in the market, a gradual shift from inhalation to injection, younger users, as well as individual traumas and family dysfunctions, along with the specific needs of female users and migrant workers.
Massive Investment
To respond to these challenges, the evaluation makes nine recommendations. Strengthen the capacities of the NDS, improve coordination in supply reduction by investing in satellite technology, standardize prevention, decentralize access to treatment, make massive investments in rehabilitation, expand risk reduction to include naloxone and drug testing, enhance strategic information based on school surveys and academic research, and adopt a gender and human rights-centered approach to new drugs. It suggests involving people with lived experience of drug use in the development of the next plan.
The verdict will be announced this Thursday. The new plan for 2026-2030 must address a reality that has continuously worsened since 2019. The issue of drugs is evolving, youth are at risk, and the response tools have yet to demonstrate their full effectiveness on the ground.
