A helping hand to kick drugs is to be extended to Island addicts through the Bermudians Against Narcotics campaign.

The organization is set to hold an awareness rally on Saturday in St George at which two of the key speakers will be from the ?I Can?t We Can? drugs rehabilitation centre in Baltimore.

The speakers, Imam Saafir Rabb and Israel Cason, will return to the States along with one of Bermuda?s many addicts and hope assist many more in future.

?These addicts need to be taken out of the Bermuda environment as we believe it?s almost impossible to rehabilitate a drug abuser in a drug-infested environment,? said BAN spokesman Takbir Sharrieff.

?We are hoping to identify people to send to Baltimore. We have had the names of some drug abusers mentioned to us and we have some people in mind.

?These gentlemen are then hoping to take someone back with them and get a result.? Mr. Sharrieff explained that the cost of putting the addicts through the programme will be met in part by their families and partly through BAN fundraising.

?This is about saving lives and we are making an appeal to the public for funds to assist these persons. We are hoping this will be a success story that will happen again and again,? he added.

He revealed that the first person likely to be helped through the plan is a person who has fallen foul of the drug scene in the Court Street area of Hamilton but has approached BAN for help.

Like a previous rally last November in Hamilton, it will also offer food and entertainments, and is designed to pull the community together to fight the scourge of drugs.

The event kicks off at 12 noon in the town square, and will run until 10 p.m.