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Insights on Drug Abuse at Schools

Drug abuse at schools, like a gigantic malevolent octopus, has gained a stranglehold on thousands of addicts and wrought havoc in their lives and those of their families. Drug abuse must be everybody’s concern. It outlines a series of responsibilities for four groups: parents, schools, students and communities. Parents are urged to teach standards through personal example. Help children to resist peer pressure to use drugs by supervising their activities, knowing who their friends are, and talking with them about their interests and problems. Be knowledgeable about drugs and signs of drug use. When symptoms are observed, respond promptly. Teachers and school administrators have to determine the extent and character of drug abuse and establish a means monitoring that use regularly. Establish clear and specific rules regarding drug use that includes strong corrective actions. Enforce policies against drug use fairly and consistently. Implement security measures to eliminate drugs on school premises and at school functions. Implement a comprehensive drug prevention curriculum for elementary grades through high school, teaching that drug use is wrong and harmful, and supporting and strengthening resistance to drugs.

Reach out to the community for support and assistance in making the school’s anti-drug policy and program work. Develop collaborative arrangements in which school personnel, parents, PTCA’s, law enforcement officers, treatment centers and private groups can work together to provide necessary resources. The instructions to students are twofolds: Learn about the effects of drug use, the reasons why drugs are harmful, and ways to resist pressures to try drugs. Use an understanding of the danger posed by drugs to help other students avoid them. Encourage other students to resist drugs, persuade those using drugs to seek help and report those selling drugs to parents and the school principal.

The advice to communities is: Help school fight drugs by providing them with the expertise and financial resources of community groups and agencies. Involve local-law enforcement agencies in all aspects of drug prevention: assessment enforcement and education. The police and courts should have well-established and mutually supportive relationships with the schools. Another helpful advice is that the Boy Scouts of the Philippines will join in a national fight against drug abuse at schools. Boy Scouts will offer drug abuse prevention material to elementary and high school students. As an incentive a Drug Abuse Proficiency Award will be offered to those Scoutmasters, Scouters and Senior Scouts who take the required training session, become involved in drug prevention activities, and donate at least 50 hours of their time to the program. The present administration must study new legislation to demonstrate that the nation is serious about dealing with drug abuse.

The basic recommendation to eradicate drug menace is to get tough with the problem. Increased government concern will raise hope that drug abuse can be dealt with more adequately. However this never will be achieved without the involvement of parents. If the bonds of trust and affection are kept strong between the adolescent and the parents, the child will be open to the course of the father and mother and take their advice seriously. Strong family life serves as a safeguard against many evils. It also can help halt the ravages of drug abuse.

Further Reading:

Ilocos Norte high school student, cousin caught selling shabu

The drug menace reared its ugly head anew, this time in Ilocos Norte after a 17-year-old high school student was arrested Tuesday for selling methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu).

Police caught the student and a cousin in a buy-bust operation in Barangay Bungcag in Dingras town in Ilocos Norte, GMA Ilocos reported.
Seized from the two were a plastic sachet containing suspected shabu and drug paraphernalia.
But police suspect the minor may have been exploited to sell the drugs.
Source: GMA NEWS
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