Pubdate: Mon, 20 Dec 2004
Source: Barbados Advocate (Barbados)
Copyright: Barbados Advocate 2004
Contact:  http://www.barbadosadvocate.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3499
Author: Janelle Riley
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

TACKLE DRUG ABUSE

Since January, through the Probation Department and some of the Government 
secondary schools, 36 persons were referred to the Coalition Against 
Substance Abuse (CASA) for counselling. Word of this came from director of 
CASA, Orlando Jones, in a recent interview with the Barbados Advocate as he 
spoke of the changes the organisation has undergone since the beginning of 
the year.

Referring to statistics collated over the past months, Jones noted that 
between January and early December some 19 students were referred to them 
by the secondary schools, with the primary problem being marijuana use.

Most of them would have been tested before they came here so that the 
evidence that they would have been using marijuana is very clear, he explained.

According to Jones, most of the persons who utilise their services are 
users of marijuana with few cases of cocaine use being seen of late.

Statistics issued to the Barbados Advocate showed that to date, 54 males 
and seven females were seen by CASA's counsellors for marijuana use, while 
only one male was a cocaine addict.

With this in mind, while commending those schools which have referred 
students for their initiative, Jones contended that all the schools must be 
willing to recognise that there is a problem and try to deal with it.

There are serious problems in the schools and a lot of it is not being 
highlighted and I think it is because the schools want to protect their 
reputation. But the problem also needs to be dealt with. Now I think, for 
one, there really needs to be more school education officers. The National 
Council on Substance Abuse (NCSA) has two officers, one for the primary and 
one for the secondary, but that really is stretching it a bit. There needs 
to be more drug education officers to service the schools, he contended.

Jones further suggested that the Ministry of Education also look at the 
possibility of employing social workers within the secondary schools to 
assist the guidance counsellors with their work load, as they are somewhat 
limited in what they are able to do.

Guidance counsellors are teachers in their own right, whereas if there were 
social workers in the schools they would be able to go out to the 
communities and the family and find out what the problems are. We have to 
address the whole issue of drugs, there is a lot of evidence out there to 
support the fact that marijuana is a very dangerous drug, but it is not 
being talked about, but until we address that issue we will continue to 
have a problem.

Kids are influenced by what they see on TV and in the pubs and the clubs 
they are influenced by what is going on in the community. If in the 
community it is accepted that marijuana is OK then I think that you will 
find kids gravitating towards that.

The problem only gets into the school when it comes from the community, so 
if we dont address this whole thing from the community perspective, then 
the schools will suffer, he contended. To this end, he maintained that 
Government needed to put funding into prevention and education and not 
simply attempt to find a cure.

Supporting this call, Counsellor Jerry Bellamy contended that unless money 
is invested in prevention measures, the problems with drugs in Barbados 
would only get bigger. Moreover, he said the time would soon come when the 
Ministry of Education will have to institute a programme dealing with drugs 
on the school curriculum.

What the schools need to do is educate the Ministry. They must send 
statistics to the Ministry showing them the number of children they have 
that are going through problems so that the Ministry could come up with 
prevention strategies and policies, he suggested.
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