A study conducted in 2013 on the prevalence of drug use among secondary school students has revealed an alarming trend showing that students as young as 12 years old are engaged in the use of both licit and illicit substances.

The Secondary School Drug Prevalence Survey Project was done by the Organisation of American States (OAS) Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) in collaboration with the Government of Guyana. The study was undertaken in May and June of 2013.

OAS Country Representative Jean Dormeus handing over a copy of the Secondary School Drug Prevalence Survey 2013 report to US Embassy ChargÉ d’Affaires Bryan Hunt

Some two years after the survey was conducted, the report was officially launched on Wednesday at the Cara Lodge, indicating that alcohol, cigarettes, inhalants and marijuana are the most commonly used drugs among the student population in Guyana.

CICAD representative Tiffany Barry, during a review of the survey, disclosed that 1890 students from 28 schools participated in the study, with 92.5 per cent from public schools and 7.5 per cent from private schools. These students were from Grades 8, 10, 11 and Sixth Form. Some 43.8 per cent of the participants were between the ages of 11 and 14.

Most of the participants in the survey were from schools in Georgetown, while the others were from the various Regions except Seven and Eight. The drugs categorised in the study are: Licit drugs – alcohol and tobacco; and illicit drugs – inhalants/solvents, marijuana, tranquilisers, ecstasy and cocaine.

According to the CICAD representative, 19 per cent of the students have admitted using an illegal drug at least once in their lifetime, while 52 per cent said they have consumed alcohol. However, the findings showed that there is a higher prevalence of drug use among private school students.

The following percentages of participants also admitted to using these other drugs once in their lifetime: 10.8 per cent of the participants admitted to having used inhalants/solvents; 16.8 per cent used tobacco; 6.6 per cent used marijuana: 3.2 per cent used tranquilisers; 1.6 per cent used ecstasy and 1.4 per cent used cocaine. Eighteen per cent of these students are from public school, while some 24.5 per cent are private school students.

However, 7.6 per cent of the students said they have tried an illegal drug for the first time within the past year (dated from when the survey was done). More alarmingly, Barry outlined that students as young as 10 years, eight months are using inhalants, while those 12 and above were using substances such as alcohol, cocaine and marijuana.

Most of the students said they usually get alcohol from shops, while marijuana and cocaine are acquired from friends and relatives. Moreover, marijuana was found to be the most accessible illegal drug, while cocaine was the least accessible.

Private school The CICAD representative indicated that the data from the survey shows a trend of drug use being more prevalent among private school students.  “Overall students are aware of the dangers of drug use as more than 50 per cent of them indicated that using any type of drug is very harmful to their health. Generally, students are not curious to try a drug even if given the opportunity – more than 80 per cent said no. Efforts need to be taken to reduce students’ access to drugs in public places such as sporting events and from being able to purchase alcohol and cigarettes in shops,” Barry detailed in her presentation.

This survey by CICAD has been replicated in 12 other Caribbean countries. On this note, another representative of CICAD, Pernell Clarke, gave a detailed comparative analysis of Guyana’s position at the regional level.

He outlined that Guyana has been placed in the mid to lower end of the crisis when compared to other countries in the Region. Clarke pointed out that the most widely consumed substance across the Region was alcohol, which was followed by marijuana. However, he highlighted that binge drinking among Guyanese students is the most prevalent in comparison to the other countries.

As it relates to illicit substances, marijuana remains the most widely used drug among secondary students in the Caribbean. Furthermore, the CICAD representative outlined that in order to tackle this worrisome and growing trend each country in the Region would have to design a response strategy of its own. “Every country has a unique pattern of use so you can’t have a one size, fix all approach to prevention… You have to customise your approach, depending on unique situation,” he stated. This is the third Secondary School Drug Prevalence Survey that CICAD has conducted in Guyana. The first was done in 2003 and another in 2007.