Taking war on drugs seriously and personally

 Instead of folding her arms and complaining a Toekomsrus mother who lost two daughters to drugs has taken action against the scourge.

Raylene Veruskha Martin, 47, believes that if all parents are just going to watch and do nothing, they not only will be failing their children, they actually will kill them.

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• The war on drugs: Toekies residents take a strong stand
• Toekies: Parents in community together against drugs

Martin who has been involved in various drug-awareness campaigns pleaded with parents to protect the lives of their young ones by being proactive.

This is why I’m part of an organisation called Parents Against Drug Abuse (PADA), which seeks to eradicate drugs in the community because I was tired of seeing kids’ lives cut short,” Martin said.

In 2012, Martin had to lay to rest her 20-year-old daughter who had been battling with addiction. Her other daughter is recovering at a rehabilitation centre.

Martin believes there should be other programmes in society to help recovering addicts never to turn to drugs again. She stressed that it’s important to help them interact with society instead of being shunned or treated as personae non gratae.

“We should guide them and even introduce them to skills they can use to turn around their lives and never relapse.”

She warned that sadly, even after they had completed the rehabilitation programme, they could still fall prey to drug dealers who would want to make money at the expense of the innocent as they fear losing their clientele.

She said it’s important to make sure that they’re given skills right away to move on with their lives; adding that skills such as working with textiles and computer literacy are among those one could consider.

For ten years, Martin was the regional chairperson for an organisation called Local Drug Action Committee where she helped substance use disorder suffers (addicts) under the portfolio of the Health and Social Development programme at the Rand West City Local Municipality.

Asked why she has given her life to the community, Martin quoted Mahatma Gandhi. “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”

You can’t keep on grumbling with everyone else when you see that things aren’t working in your community’s favour. Someone has got to come up with a solution. We have to break this tradition of just complaining without any action,” Martin said.