DOH: 770,000 HS studes drug users

Around 770,000 high school students nationwide are substance abusers, the Department of Health (DOH) said yesterday.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said while this figure — which represents 1.2 percent of the 6.4 million public and private high school students all over the country — is "not alarming" compared to international figures, "it does not mean we can let our guard down."

"We have to make sure that it doesn’t increase. We have to do everything to keep our youths away from vices, particularly dangerous drugs," Duque told a press briefing to mark "Substance Abuse Prevention Week."

The DOH determined the number of students hooked on various illegal substances by conducting random drug tests among 5,648 high school students in various parts of the country.

The program was meant to gauge the drug addiction problem in schools and to formulate strategies to address the situation.

Dr. Benjamin Reyes, DOH’s supervising health program officer, said marijuana was the students’ drug of choice, followed by methampethamine hydrochloride, known locally as shabu.

Duque said that in 1998, a Dangerous Drugs Board survey showed there were 1.8 million drug addicts in the Philippines while 1.6 million others were casual users.

However, this figure is increasing by almost 100 percent each year.

The survey showed the most abused substances were shabu; marijuana, including cannabis baked into brownies and hashish; the cough medicines Corex-DM, Robitussin AC, and Corex Plain; rugby; and the sedatives Trazepam and Nubain.

"It is high time we addressed this menace silently crippling our society, which results in adverse physical, mental, emotional and behavioral changes," Duque said.

Starting February 2006, the DOH is set to conduct similar drug tests on 72,800 college students randomly selected from 208 colleges and universities nationwide.

Under Executive Order 273, the DOH plays a pivotal role in the government’s fight against drug addiction.

The DOH is now mandated to supervise and operate the rehabilitation centers of the National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine National Police. It is also tasked to develop drug testing, treatment and rehabilitation policies and accreditation standards for private drug-testing centers.

The DOH has offered free drug tests to the first 500 clients at its 32 retained hospitals as part of the campaign.

Aside from this, Duque said random drug tests would also be conducted among DOH top officials and employees to set an example to the public.

Duque and other officials voluntarily submitted themselves to drug testing at the National Reference Laboratory in Quezon City.

"This is an important message that we want to impart to the public. We are doing this to make sure that the credibility of people implementing this program is beyond question and beyond doubt," he said.