July 30, 2009….Findings from a National Survey on Drug Use among Secondary School Students in Antigua and Barbuda has been submitted to officials at the Substance Abuse Prevention Division (SAPD).
The survey, done in 2005 by the National Drug Council of Antigua and Barbuda, was conducted by administering a self report questionnaire to 2057 full time secondary school students in forms two, three, four, five and grade eight junior secondary school students in Antigua and Barbuda.
This study was primarily intended to determine the nature and extent of drug use among youth in secondary schools in Antigua and Barbuda. One of the objectives of the survey was to provide data to inform the development of suitable prevention and treatment programs for the youth as well as guide policy makers to design a suitable drug abuse curriculum.
The survey found that alcohol was the most widely used substance among secondary students with 73.4 percent of them reporting ever having used it. The survey also found that Marijuana (25.1 percent); cigarettes (17.8 percent); and solvents and inhalants (13.6 percent) were widely used substances.
Only a small proportion reported ever using opiates such as heroin (0.9 percent), opium (0.4 percent), and morphine (1.2 percent); cocaine (1.8 percent), crack (1.8 percent), coca paste (0.7 percent), ecstasy (1.3 percent), hashish (1.7 percent) and hallucinogens (1.2 percent).
About one third of students in the sample (32.6 %) reported ever having used an illegal drug. The average age at which students in the sample first used an illegal drug was 12 years, but 36.4 percent of illicit drug users were 11 years and under when they first used illegal drugs.
Substance Abuse Prevention Officer Norma Jeffrey-Dorset said the survey will be administered according to the OAS/CICAD Multilateral Evaluation Mechanism (MEM) requirements to collect data on drug use among students.
“This was the first school survey of this nature and we now have some baseline data with which we can make comparisons in the future. It is the beginning of a process for us to look at trends over time.”
If you would like more information about the survey, information about drug abuse, or to schedule an interview with Norma Jeffrey -Dorset, please call Nasheta Richards at 771-0874 or email nashetarichards@gmail.com.
