The Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) is a government agency tasked in creating policies in dealing with illegal drugs in the Philippines.

Background

At the time the Republic Act 6425, also known as the Dangerous Drugs Act of 1972, was approved on March 30, 1972, there are 20 thousand drug users and

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...

is the most preferred illegal drug among users in the country. The board was established on November 14, 1972 under the Office of the President after the proclamation of Martial Law in the country by then President

Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. ( , , ; September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, dictator, and kleptocrat who was the 10th president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled under martial ...

. The DDB was mandated to be the policy-making and coordinating agency as well as the national clearing house on all matters pertaining to law enforcement and control of dangerous drugs; treatment and rehabilitation of drug dependents; drug abuse prevention, training and information; research and statistics on the drug problem and the training of personnel engaged in these activities.

Composition

Seven national agencies in the country initially formed part of the Dangerous Drugs Board. These are the

Department of Health A health department or health ministry is a part of government which focuses on issues related to the general health of the citizenry. Subnational entities, such as states, counties and cities, often also operate a health department of their ow ...

, Department of Social Service and Development (now Department of Social Welfare and Development),

Department of Education, Culture and Sports The Department of Education (abbreviated as DepEd; fil, Kagawaran ng Edukasyon) is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for ensuring access to, promoting equity in, and improving the quality of basic education. It ...

(now Department of Education),

Department of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a v ...

Department of National Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philippin ...

, Department of Finance and the National Bureau of Investigation. The membership of the board was expanded through the Republic Act 9165. Through the law the

Department of the Interior and Local Government The Department of the Interior and Local Government ( fil, Kagawaran ng Interyor at Pamahalaang Lokal), abbreviated as DILG, is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for promoting peace and order, ensuring public saf ...

Department of Labor and Employment The Department of Labor and Employment ( fil, Kagawaran ng Paggawa at Empleyo}, commonly abbreviated as DOLE) is one of the executive departments of the Philippine government mandated to formulate policies, implement programs and services, an ...

, Department of Foreign Affairs, Commission on Higher Education, National Youth Commission, and the

Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA, , ; Filipino: ''Ahensiya ng Pilipinas sa Pagpapatupad ng Batas Laban sa Bawal na Gamot'') is the lead anti-drug law enforcement agency, responsible for preventing, investigating and combating any ...

which was recently established at the time became members of the DDB.

Chairmen

References

{{Source-attribution, {{cite web, title=History, url=https://www.ddb.gov.ph/about-ddb/history, publisher=Dangerous Drugs Board, access-date=1 November 2017 Government agencies under the Office of the President of the Philippines 1971 establishments in the Philippines Drug policy organizations Drug policy of the Philippines