A recent survey conducted in various parts of the country by the Public Health Ministry has discovered that new substances are being abused by youths at a rapid pace.
Psychologist Ren Gonsalves engaging the participants of the programme
With this in mind, the Ministry has embarked on an initiative to train persons to help young people stay away from these harmful substances.
Project Director at the Drug Demand Reduction Services arm of the Ministry, Sylvia Cort told the media on Monday that from an exercise in Essequibo, lots of reports were forwarded that more young people are misusing substances, while at the same time pointing out that there are some new substances that are on the market.
In fact, she said there are reports of persons even “sniffing” gasoline. “We know they are misusing prescription drugs…they are misusing solvents; some young people are even sniffing gasoline. So there is an upsurge. There is also an upsurge in them using ecstasy and there is a new one on the market, Malay I think is one”.
This new drug she noted is a “night club” substance which is generally added to drinks. Cort said it disturbs a person’s thought process, meaning that a drugged person will be unconscious of their actions.
As a consequence, she appealed for partyholics not to take sips of opened drinks from friends or acquaintances.
However, on Monday, a five-day workshop kicked off at the Red Cross Society, Eve Leary, Georgetown with representatives from the Social Protection Ministry, youth groups, Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU), National Anti-Narcotics Agency (NANA) and several others who are involved directly in counselling youths.
The Project Director outlined the importance of this activity as she referred to youths as not only the future but a neglected group.
“We thought that as the future leaders, as our future, we need to pay special attention to them and therefore this workshop is very important to build the capacity of those persons who come into contact or work directly with adolescents who may be vulnerable or at risk”.
Further, she noted that young people are often times pressured not only by their peers, but at school, home, and in their groups.
These pressures, she said, may lead to them abuse substances for leisure or relief. The programme, on the other hand, will help leaders to recognise the issues faced by young people and address them swiftly.
Over the next few days, Psychologist Ren Gonsalves of the Philippines will be engaging the participants.
A United States State Department report has declared that while Guyana has a comprehensive drug demand reduction strategy, the use of drugs like marijuana and even cocaine is a growing problem.
This information is contained in the recently released 2019 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, which has a section dedicated to Guyana’s profile.
Notwithstanding the trafficking, the report notes actual consumption of these drugs is a growing problem. According to the report, marijuana is the most commonly used drug.
