Molly, Vaping and Edibles frequently used by high schoolers

A young woman holding a vape
A young woman holding a vape (Photo credit: Sabrina Rohwer)

A new study has found that there are three main drugs being abused by Jamaican secondary school students. “When we asked about the popular substances that are currently being abused, molly, vaping and edibles are what came out as the top three”, said research analyst at the National Council on Drugs Abuse (NCDA), Uki Atkinson, Friday 1 September, at a press conference at the Ministry of Health. The study was conducted by the NCDA, which discovered, further, that these drugs are easily accessible to students. But Atkinson said that in the past ganja, alcohol and tobacco were the popular drugs among students.

Molly is a party drug that has recently gained popularity in Jamaica. “We did not, typically, have a pill-popping culture, nor do we, typically, have an injection drug use culture, but things are changing and, therefore, it is incumbent on us to stay on top of these things and try to prevent them and create interventions that are necessary at this time,” Atkinson said.

The study also found out that vaping was popular among students across all social classes and that some students are advertising the device for sale on their WhatsApp statuses. But alcohol is still being abused by students and the study outlined some of the creative ways used to bring it into the schools. One way is by infusing gummy bears with it, called ‘Rummy Bears’, and also by transporting it in water bottles, Atkinson revealed.

Outside of drug use, the study found that students were suffering from issues of anxiety, depression, self-harm, and suicidal ideation and that these issues were commonly reported to guidance counsellors. Increased verbal and physical aggression, weapon carrying, student involvement in scamming, and excessive sexualized behaviour and pregnancy were also among the issues identified that need to be addressed.

Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton pointed out that the study had been commissioned because of reports in the media of increased substance abuse among children and pill-popping parties. He said that the matter was one that deserves national attention and immediate intervention. “What we are witnessing, as evidenced by the study, is a normalizing of drug use, especially among our young people in a particular area. This is symptomatic of a public health threat, warranting for us an important response to gather more information and response in terms policy address,” he said.

He also noted that globally there are concerns that psychoactive substances (mind-affecting drugs) present a serious challenge to public health, and this has increased the demand for a response through policy to minimize and, hopefully, eliminate substance abuse.

The study was conducted by the council in May across 13 parishes in 13 high schools among 160 students in grades 8 to 10 via focus group interviews. Twenty guidance counsellors were also involved in the exercise.

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