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Fighting the menace also requires a social development approach to prevent dysfunctional and disorderly communities.

Social Development Officer for Mutare District in the Department of Social Development, Mr Langton Marumbi, said drug and substance abuse derails Zimbabwe’s national aspiration of Vision 2030 to achieve an empowered and prosperous upper-middle income society by the Year 2030.

Said Mr Marumbi: “Drug and substance abuse has devastating social impact on individuals, families, communities and the country at large. Government’s commitment to tackling the menace has resulted in the National Committee on Drug and Substance Abuse being decentralised from national level down to provincial, district and ward levels to integrate several and various stakeholders at different stages because their involvement and input is crucial in consolidating the multiple intervention programmes being put in place.”

Effectively rooting out the scourge ensures that no one and no place is left behind as the country steers towards economic development and social transformation, added Mr Marumbi.

In her remarks on the sidelines of the all-stakeholders workshop, Chikanga Ward Six councillor, Councillor Sekai Mukodza, called for more community initiatives in combating drug and substance abuse.

She said increased participation by the target population as well as parents and guardians can go a long way in reducing drug abuse prevalence in the society.

“It takes the whole community to raise a child properly, and the onus is upon all of us to uphold drug-free societies. No one is safe from this scourge until we