Students in secondary schools admit to smoking bhang, cigarettes

Students in secondary schools have admitted to using bhang and abusing prescription drugs, a new study has revealed.

The research by National Authority for Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (Nacada) shows that 56.3 per cent of the respondents abused prescription drugs while 50.3 per cent smoke bhang.

"Prescription drugs were the most readily available by 71 per cent of the students' interviewed," showed the report.
According to the report, other drugs easily available in the schools' neighbourhoods were cigarettes that were accessible to 69 per cent of respondents, alcohol (66.4 per cent), miraa (65.8 per cent), bhang (55 per cent), inhalants ( 44.8 per cent) and Kuber (35.6 per cent).

There was also evidence of low consumption of cocaine and heroin at 6.9 per cent and 4.2 per cent respectively.

The study further established that students randomly selected from 17 regions identified alcohol as the most commonly abused drug in secondary schools at 74.4 per cent often without the knowledge of teachers.

random inspections

"Other drugs were identified as miraa and cigarettes," the report says.

Nacada Chairman John Mututho blamed the high rates of the substances abuse to laxity in implementing measures that could help control the vice.

He said the authority would soon be carrying out random inspections at schools.

"We are going to use electronics, sniffer dogs and every system available to do the random checks so that every parent who sends a child to school is assured that they are safe," he pointed out.

He added that they were working with relevant ministries and authorities to identify schools with persistent high usage of the drugs and alcohol with view to closing them down.

"In the likely event that your school is persistently showing over 50 per cent drug abuse, then we will have no alternative but to close it down," Muthutho cautioned at a Press briefing yesterday.

The report shows that the students got the substances from friends, their homes, fellow students and shops near schools.

Others used them on their way home from school, during weekends at schools, school outings, trips and dinner time.
"These are times when these were least supervised," the report adds.

Muthotho was accompanied by Nacada Director Fazul Mohamed.