DESPITE EFFORTS by the National Council on Substance Abuse (NCSA) to get the anti-drug message out to the public, marijuana use continues to increase and is being seen more within younger and younger age groups.
Yolande Forde, manager of the NCSA, speaking at Press briefing to announce activities for Drug Awareness Month, said that research had shown was that non-teenagers who used marijuana tended to be exposed to it in their homes.
She added that for this reason many marijuana users did not even know that it was illegal because it was being used around them and was a part of the culture of the home or a part of the subculture of their neighbourhood.
The month of activities will have the theme You, Me, We Choose To Make Barbados Drug Free. Forde explained that planned activities included a parent’s forum at the St George Secondary School to give parents the opportunity to ask any questions relating to drugs.
Forde it was noted that the NCSA schools education programme was not reaching a critical group of people, namely the parents, since the outreach was not linked to the home.
“Very often they have these questions and they don’t know who to ask, and one of the most dangerous things is to get information from the wrong source,” Forde said. She added that other coping mechanisms had to be put in place rather than telling people drugs are bad for them. “We want to give them the skills rather than just telling them to say no to drugs. That approach went through the window a long time ago,” she said.
Included in activities for the month is a youth seminar for third form students from secondary schools. In addition, there will be a public on January 31, focusing on marijuana to give the true story and all the facts about marijuana under the title Marijuana: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly. Also there will be the launch of anti-drug messages in the form of posters and bus wraps. (LK)