DRUG MENACE

Younger children are experimenting with drugs more than ever in the
history of South Africa, and it appears to be widely spread over the
racial, cultural and economic sections of society.

This is according to Superintendant Lobo das Neves, who presented a
paper on the subject to teachers and parents at a seminar in
Johannesburg earlier this month.

"Children as young as 10 and 11 become addicted to heroin and 'tik'.
No statistics are available as most schools and parents deal with
their drugging kids outside the legal system. This is illegal.
Research at various rehabilitation centres will show the decline in
ages of their patients," says Das Neves, who worked in the South
African Police Narcotics Bureau for 14 years, and has been
responsible for some of the biggest cocaine busts in the country.

The seminar, Drug-proofing Children, included practical tips on the
signs of drug use and what the drugs look like because, in most
cases, teachers and parents have not heard of many of the new drugs
on the market -- Cat (battery acid and cocaine), Sugars (a mixture of
crack cocaine and Rattex, the poison used to kill rats) and tik.
Parents and teachers may not have seen some of the "older" drugs
either (Ecstacy, cocaine, Mandrax, LSD and heroin). The only drug
most adults today recognise is marijuana, called "dagga" in South Africa.

The aim of the seminar was to spread awareness to teachers, parents,
youth councillors and church youth workers, among others.

Das Neves says drugs can be obtained in poorer suburbs as easily as
in affluent areas. "Gone are the days when one had to travel to
Hillbrow to purchase drugs. Now it can be ordered via cellphones and
it will be delivered within minutes. Schools are commonly used as
offset points. Recently, I was handed a hand-drawn flyer that was
distributed at a primary school advertising 'weed at a good price'.
This was distributed among primary schoolchildren and is currently
under investigation. There are no 'worst hit areas' anymore. Drugs
are portable, easily concealed and could be delivered to your front
or back door without your child having to leave home."

One of the reasons for the increase in usage and accessibility, he
says, is poor parental control over money, valuables at home and,
most importantly, a child's movements. Money is no longer a necessity
to obtain drugs. "A young and willing body can quickly be used to
procure drugs."

Das Neves appeals to teachers and parents to get involved in
education and prevention. "The time has come for teachers and parents
to realise that a heavier-than-ever burden is upon them to deal with
the issue themselves."

Dr Cyril Samuels, the principal of a Lenasia school, found from a
survey of 52 grade 9 learners that most of them recognise there is a
serious problem of drug and alcohol abuse partly because of "easy
accessibility and peer pressure". The drugs most commonly used are
dagga, Mandrax and crack, but some of the learners mentioned Sugars
and tik as well, he says.

Teachers, Samuels says, are meant to take note if there are
"behavioural changes, loss of weight, change in appearance, frequent
absenteeism, red eyes and a drop in school performance". The drugs,
the learners say, come from drug dealers in the area, peers and other
family members. "Many of the respondents indicated that most drug
addicts they know come from affluent homes." What is needed is
education at primary and high school level, stronger police presence
around schools, arrest of drug dealers, raids at schools and
rehabilitation, he says.

A former learner at a Pretoria high school, Mikael Subedar, whose
friend died of a heroin overdose, says: "I don't think that many
teachers [or parents] know what is happening." While drug taking is
not very common on school grounds, he observed, drug testing does
take place on the school premises. "Once, one of our deputy head boys
tried to help another guy pass a drug test but he got caught and was demoted."

Whether you get involved in drug experimenting or not, according to
Subedar, depends on: the group of friends you have; the type of
family you come from; the education you receive in school; and how
well you withstand peer pressure. He feels that some parents give
their children too much freedom, while others are too controlling and
their children rebel. He adds that teachers often ignore the signs.

Charmaine Smith, a former teacher now running various educational,
emotional and personal development courses, attributes the increasing
drug prevalence to a culture of "instant gratification". So, while
children are told drugs are bad, they witness adult role models pop
pills for the merest of headaches, for example, instead of lying down
and having a glass of water. Adults, she says, take pills all the
time -- sleeping pills at night, energy boosters in the morning --
not setting good examples for their children.

"The idea is that quick fixes solve problems. It's easy to notice in
class those who are on drugs -- their marks suddenly go down,
especially in maths, and they lose interest in their work, their
usual social group, the extramural activities they once enjoyed.
Their behaviour changes and they tend to find it difficult to stay
awake in class.

"Everyone needs to be made aware of where kids get the drugs from.
You can, for instance, pick them up at your nearest fast food
outlets, security boom gates and garages. And a child can get
completely stoned on just R50," says Smith.

The signs of drug abuse General signs: Bloodshot eyes; stained hands;
sudden change in eating habits; sudden change in weight; frequent use
of eye drops; withdrawal from family; swearing; poor respect for
adults; strange body odours; use of incense; change in general
behaviour; strange friends; being talkative or secretive; late nights
out; poor grades; poor personal hygiene; and lack of interest in
school and sport.

Classroom behaviour: Blase about homework; disruptive, not paying
attention in class; drop in marks, especially in maths, as the
subject is known to be connected with emotional balance or lack
thereof; loss of interest in a former passion; anti-social behaviour;
shift in social groups at school; and inability to stay awake in class.

How to Deal With Users

Keep channels of communication open

Monitor what's happening on cellphones

Build self-esteem and discourage quick fixes

Impress upon them that every choice has consequences

Beware of giving them lots of money for visits to shopping malls

Zero tolerance equals success -- don't allow experimentation, which is abuse

Overreact rather than not react.