 The Ministry of Health, Wellness and Elderly Affairs, with support from OASCCAD, recently conducted a workshop for stakeholders engaged in the national response to drug demand and supply. During this seminar, focus was specifically placed on using a collective approach in developing an early warning system that will allow St. Lucia to have a more agile and proactive response to present and emerging drug threats. The leading coordinator of the Substance Abuse Advisory Council Secretariat, Natasha Lloyd-Felix, said the Secretariat has been made aware of the emergence of new substances in the region and very likely St. Lucia, many of which may be sweets and treats, including cookies and cakes that may contain products that present a potential risk to their health and well-being and may potentially impair their judgment. By doing so, we do know that the likelihood increases of protecting the health and well-being of our young ones, in addition to which we also request, particularly for parents, to heighten the level of alertness as it relates to the young people, their children's use of social media platforms, as we do note an increased level of creativity in marketing of these products, using popular forums on which young people dialogue and communicate. Through our collective efforts as a ministry, as a society, as homes, we do note that we can improve the level of protection and preserve the health and well-being of our young people and our nation as a whole. According to Lloyd-Felix, there is need for more targeted interventions among the segments of the population who tend to be more vulnerable. Sex is appealing to parents and guardians to increase their vigilance and to caution young people within their care about the things they purchase or accept for consumption. And we are also asking for a degree of social media vigilance as well because we do know that innovative methods are being used to market these items, to reach our young people and by so doing, offer them products which may seem attractive, which may seem to be normal commercial products that are purchased, but really may contain items that can threaten their health and their safety. An early warning system for drug threats and the trends will allow for, among other things, more rapid and accurate information on new and emerging drug phenomena in the drug market and a rapid evaluation of the risks and impacts associated with the use of new psychoactive substances. From the Communications Unit of the Ministry of Health, Wellness and Early Affairs, Julia Peter reporting.