IF the Pacific is to come to grips with the drug crisis, it is going to take a “whole of community” approach — because the problem has metastasized to such an extent that the region is no longer just a transit pathway.
Virginia Comolli, co-author of Turning the Tide Together — a recent policy paper produced by the Pacific Security College — painted a grim view of the situation: “What we are seeing is the transformation of the Pacific from primarily a transit corridor into an increasingly significant consumer market and, in some contexts, a site for local production.”
A key part of finding a solution will be a Pacific Islands Forum-led summit slated for next year. Comolli said that a lot of preparatory work is needed beforehand to ensure any policies that emerge are evidence driven.
“There is important work already underway across Pacific communities that should be supported and documented, including community education initiatives, peer-based harm reduction approaches, culturally grounded rehabilitation models, and partnerships between health services, police, and traditional leadership structures. The summit should not be seen as the start of the conversation, but as the culmination of a broader regional process that strengthens cooperation and lays the foundations for a Pacific-led Regional Synthetic Drugs Strategy.”
International development expert Lautoa Faletau, who provided key input to the policy paper, welcomed the idea of broad, multi-perspective assessments that would lend credibility to the data. “Such assessments are also an opportunity for all stakeholders — government, non-government, academic institutions, and the private sector — to inform national discussions and deliberations at the 2027 summit.”
In a sense, because the drug scourge is affecting all communities, everyone will have to come together to help solve it. Ross Arden, who has been with the New Zealand Police for more than four decades, aptly put it: “Plainly, we have an illicit drugs epidemic on our hands, and this is not a problem that can be resolved by law enforcement alone.
“We must look to those in the community that can offer support to law enforcement and work with them, including our traditional leaders and civil society. We can all do more, but the most important thing we can do is to trust each other and demonstrate a stronger willingness to share information.”
