The figures on substance abuse among youth released by Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony on Friday should trouble every parent, teacher and policymaker in Guyana.
After screening more than 6,000 secondary school students, the Ministry of Health found that 43% had consumed alcohol, 32% had engaged in vaping and 5% had used cannabis. Describing the findings as “alarming,” the minister urged stronger interventions to prevent the problem from worsening. He is right.
If anything, the figures suggest that Guyana has been slow to confront a problem that has been unfolding for years.
Of the three findings, alcohol use stands out. It is socially accepted and widely available to youths. As Dr Anthony observed, alcohol frequently becomes the gateway to the use of other drugs. The earlier young people begin drinking, the greater the risk that they will engage in other harmful behaviour, develop dependency or suffer lasting health consequences.
The latest findings should not have come as a surprise. They merely confirm what has been visible in communities across the country for some time. At the end of each school term, particularly after CSEC examinations, groups of uniformed students can be found congregating at bus parks and other public spaces where alcohol is consumed openly. This has become so commonplace that many adults scarcely pay attention to it.
A recent incident in Linden illustrates the point. Region Ten Regional Education Officer La Shanna Anderson disclosed in a video that she and education officers had gone to the MacKenzie Market area after learning that students who had completed their final CSEC examination had gathered where a music system had been set up and a party was about to begin. According to Anderson, the students scattered when approached by the officers and regrouped elsewhere. Police assistance was eventually required, and some students were taken to the station while their parents were contacted.
That incident should not be dismissed as youthful exuberance. It demonstrated how easily underage drinking can become organised and public with little apparent fear of intervention until authorities arrive.
Nor is this a new problem. Surveys conducted years ago among secondary school students pointed to high levels of alcohol use and the early introduction of marijuana among adolescents. International agencies, including UNICEF, have also warned that substance use affects educational outcomes and exposes young people to a range of other risks. Yet the public debate has been far and in between, and sustained action has been limited.
UNICEF’s 2017 Out of School Children Report: Guyana, which examined factors affecting school attendance and educational outcomes stated:
“The survey found that for students who admitted to current use of alcohol, 13 percent reported ‘skipping school several times or often’ during the period 30 days prior to the survey, compared with five percent for students who did not report current use of alcoholic drinks”
Responsibility does not rest with the Ministry of Health alone. Dr Anthony’s call for closer collaboration with the Ministry of Education is entirely appropriate. Schools are often the first institutions to recognise changes in students’ behaviour, but they cannot be expected to solve a problem rooted in homes, communities and the wider society.
Parents also have responsibilities that cannot be overlooked. They must know where their children are, who they associate with and how they spend their free time. Equally, those who sell alcohol must comply with the law. The prohibition against selling alcohol to minors serves little purpose if enforcement is weak or non-existent.
Some have argued, and rightly so, that many parents are single parents and the heads of these low income families most times work as security guards. This means, that children are left unsupervised many times. That being said however, parents have to find ways to do better if they want their children to have a chance in this life. This is where the government can also step in with the country’s oil riches by providing more space for these low income families to thrive and have quality time.
The announcement that local health professionals will receive specialised training in addiction medicine through a partnership with Mount Sinai Health System is a positive development. Better treatment services are needed. But treatment addresses the consequences of addiction, not its causes. Prevention remains the country’s best defence.
Dr Anthony concluded his remarks by urging Guyanese to consider “what we can do to prevent harm in our children.”
That appeal deserves to be taken seriously. However, concern alone will change nothing. The latest figures should prompt a coordinated national response involving schools, parents, health professionals, law enforcement agencies and community organisations. Without such an effort, there is every reason to believe that the next survey will paint an even more troubling picture.
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