COMBATING DRUG ABUSE AND ILLICIT TRAFFICKING

THERE is no perfectly safe level of smoking. The damage starts with
the very first cigarette. By the same token, there is no safe level of
taking drugs. The first intake and you are already in danger unless
you have some super power by which you can save yourself.

Every day school children are stopping by the roadside markets to chew
betel nut and just before they walk away from the markets you can see
a long mutrus stick or a cigarette tucked between their fingers. Mind
you, this is just chewing betel nut and smoking which by Papua New
Guinea standards perhaps are not as bad as taking drugs.

But then again, when children are openly chewing betel nut and smoking
in public places, what is the guarantee that they are not taking drugs
on the streets in front of their homes?

It's really a wonder how parents can afford to give their children
money to spend on such things, or perhaps children are just wasting
their lunch money or bus fare.

Statistics from 1993-1998 show there have been more than 1,000 cases
of marijuana in the Port Moresby alone, 950 in the Morobe province and
716 in the highlands region.

The statistics also show that most cases (138) are by minors between
the age groups of 10-19. From these figures it is a known factor that
many children in the lower education institutions are not immune to
drug abuse and therefore awareness programs against drug abuse should
be targeted at them while they are still young.

Recently, other reports have stated even girls are engaging themselves
in the consumption of home brew. Could this be related to the recent
increase in the price of alcohol or is it just peer pressure?

Yesterday, Monday June 26th was International Day Against Drug Abuse
and Illicit Trafficking, and I decided to talk to someone who has been
in the education system to find out about some problems which are
preventing the effective flow of information to children, that drugs
of any sort, even chewing betel nut and smoking are bad for people's
health.

Maku Maruse has been in the education system for more than 20 years.
Currently, he is the Education, Awareness and Public Relations
director at the Narcotics Bureau and he believes very strongly that
there should be a different approach taken to make children more aware
of the dangers of drug abuse.

Mr Maruse believes the Teaching Services Commission and the Department
of Education should immediately create teaching positions for student
counselors in all primary, provincial and secondary high schools to
take on the role of counseling in the schools. Mr Maruse said the
counselors must not be ordinary classroom teachers.

"They must be professional people who have studied and hold degrees in
psychology from recognised institutions, they must possess the
specialised skills of qualified and professional people," Mr Maruse
said. He made the call because as a former teacher he is aware of the
failures of ineffective teaching of drug related subjects in schools
over the past years.

From his experience he knows that teachers who were allocated to teach
guidance lessons could not do so because they themselves were engaged
in those activities.

He cited that as guidance teachers they could not talk about the bad
effects of chewing betelnut, drinking or smoking because they also
practiced these things.

"This is why there should be counselors based in the institutions who
do not take up the normal teaching lessons but are counselors to those
students who face drug related problem,"' Mr Maruse said.

And he added that one counselor may be based in one school but could
cover several schools in the vicinity. For example if a counselor was
based at the Gerehu Secondary school, he could provide counseling to
schools in the Gerehu suburb.

Mr Maruse said the rate at which drugs are being used amongst children
is alarming and needs everyone's attention.

But he said the current awareness programs in the National Capital
District are gaining momentum because every week, people are inviting
him out to their villages to talk on the effects of drug abuse.

Meanwhile, Mr Maruse says awareness programs in the NCD schools are
continuing and the education and awareness division has future plans
to run essay competitions on drug related problems and opening
regional offices to bring the programs closer to the people.