Addictions and substance abuse workers from Winnipeg are anticipating an announcement on the country's anti-drug strategy when Prime Minister Stephen Harper visits on Thursday.

John Borody with the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba hopes the federal government will provide more money to work on prevention and treatment of drug problems, as well as enforcement and harm reduction.

Last week, federal Health Minister Tony Clement told Canadian Press that he hopes the party's anti-drug strategy will let illicit drug users know that "the party's over."

But some in the field have raised concerns about where the Conservative government will spend its money, Borody said. 

"The buzz right now is that people are seeing that this may be heavily weighted toward the enforcement side and really leaving the people that have the problems kind of out of the picture," Borody said.

"If you take a look at more prevention, I think what we're trying to do is stop people from actually using the drugs or at least understanding the risks when they get into that kind of behaviour. And on the treatment side, being able to look after people after they have the problem and recognize they do, and they're looking for help."

Harm-reduction measures, such as safe-injections sites or needle-exchange programs, should also be an essential part of any drug strategy, Borody said.

He and others in the addictions-treatment community have cleared their calendars on Thursday in anticipation of receiving official word about the prime minister's announcement, Borody said.