Ellen Campbell -Grizzle, ContributorTHIS IS 'Drug Awareness Month'. Under the theme 'Drug abuse prevention: breaking the chain of drug abuse, sex and violence', the National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA) is focusing on strong evidence associating drug abuse with risky sexual behaviour and violence.
Parents have a critical role to play as chain breakers and change makers. Jamaican parents and guardians need to step up to the plate, inform themselves about drug abuse so that they can have sensible conversations with their children or wards.
Adolescents in Jamaica would like their parents to talk more with them about drugs. A study conducted among vulnerable youth by the NCDA in 2003 revealed that many respondents view parents as a preferred source of information about drugs. Parents should tell teens that drug and alcohol abuse is not condoned by your family. The short and long-term consequences of drug and alcohol use must be stressed. Children need to be held accountable for their actions when they use drugs and alcohol.
IS MY CHILD TAKING DRUGS?
Parents frequently ask, "How can I know that my child is taking drugs?" Apart from changes in behaviour, 'drug paraphernalia' provide solid clues to drug abuse. These are items used to produce, conceal and consume illicit drugs such as bongs, roach clips, miniature spoons and various types of pipes. Identifying drug paraphernalia can be challenging because products often are marketed as though they were designed for legitimate purposes.
Marijuana pipes, rizzla paper and bongs, for example, frequently carry a misleading disclaimer indicating that they are intended to be used only with tobacco products. Recognising drug paraphernalia often involves considering other factors such as:
The manner in which items are displayed for sale.
Descriptive materials or instructions accompanying the items.
The type of business selling the items.
Increasingly, bongs, pipes, and other paraphernalia are manufactured in bright, trendy colours and bear designs such as skulls, devils, dragons, and wizards. Manufacturers attempt to normalise drug use and make their products attractive to teenagers and young adults. Homemade paraphernalia include pens sawed off at the tip, old telephone receivers, bottle caps, handkerchiefs soaked with spray, discarded needles and syringes. Parents may view samples of many of these items in the NCDA's roving exhibition.
If you suspect that your child is using drugs, tell him/her that:
You love him/her, and you are worried that he/she might be using drugs or alcohol.
You know that drugs may seem like the thing to do, but doing drugs can have serious
consequences.
You feel worried and concerned about the drug use
You are there to listen.
You want him/her to be a
part of the solution
You will do what it takes
to help.
You believe that changing his/her circle of friends would
be wise.
You should know that you
will have this discussion several times. Seek the help of a peer counsellor who can help you
and your child identify solutions to the underlying problems which are causing your child to use drugs. Remember, preventing drug abuse is easier than cure!
Ellen Campbell-Grizzle, president, Caribbean Asociation of Pharmacists; director,
information and research, National Council on
Drug Abuse.
