EDITORIAL – ‘High’ school students

The problem may not be as bad as in other countries, but the report that 770,000 high school students in the Philippines are abusing drugs is still alarming. As the nation marked Substance Abuse Prevention Week, the Department of Health reported that about 12 percent of 6.4 million students in both private and public high schools were substance abusers.

Marijuana is the drug of choice followed by methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu, according to a study conducted by the DOH, which included random drug tests covering 5,648 high school students in different parts of the country. Other abused substances are certain brands of cough preparations, sedatives and rugby.

The problem in high school is just one aspect of the drug menace. The DOH reported that in 1998, a survey done by the Dangerous Drugs Board showed there were 1.8 million drug addicts in the country plus 1.6 million casual substance abusers. DOH officials say the figure is increasing by nearly 100 percent every year. The problem is clearly not just a matter of law enforcement. Despite some of the toughest drug laws in the world and the cooperation of pharmaceutical companies in taking out ingredients in their products that can give abusers a high, substance abuse remains a problem.

Demand has not slackened over the years, although the drug of choice shifts depending on the success of law enforcement. The international campaign to eradicate the opium trade has made the drug and its derivatives hard to come by in the streets. But marijuana has been harder to eradicate, especially amid efforts to legalize cannabis use at least for medicinal purposes. With the crackdown on cocaine, drug dealers developed a cheaper version, shabu, which can be manufactured in household laboratories. Dealers have also developed designer drugs such as ecstasy, which are popular among young abusers. Among impoverished youths, sniffing rugby provides a brief escape from poverty.

The family, the school, community support and spiritual counseling all play a role in stopping the need, especially among youths, to escape from reality and seek thrills. Substance abuse is a continuing scourge and the battle must be waged relentlessly.