Wendel Abel
THERE HAS been a lot of concerns about children using ganja and what can be done for them. Many teachers and guidance counsellors have been referring children for treatment and our treatment facilities are overwhelmed with these referrals.
Many parents are concerned as they do not know what to do. There is a lot of confusion in the society as to how to deal with our children who are using ganja. Let me attempt to answer some commonly-asked questions.
Is there an increase in ganja use in the society among our children?
The answer is no. There has been no increase in ganja use among children. Studies of school children have shown that ganja use among them has remained constant over the past 20 years.
WHY DOES IT THEN APPEAR THAT THERE IS AN INCREASE IN USE?
It appears that there is an increase in ganja use because there is more awareness in the society and we are looking out for this and also asking children more about their drug use.
WHY DO CHILDREN USE GANJA?
The factors are many. Children will use drugs when and where it is readily available and in countries where the society has a permissive attitude towards drugs such as a ganja. The reality is that ganja is everywhere available in this country and the wider society does not seem to have negative attitudes toward drugs such as ganja.
Other factors that lead to drug use in children are early stages of mental disorders such as depression and schizophrenia and children who are having problems at home, experiencing family conflicts and who do not have good relationships with their parents.
HOW DO WE SOLVE THE PROBLEM?
A number of strategies are clearly needed. As a society we need to continue to provide clear and consistent messages to our children. In a study done in the 1990s, 94 per cent of young people indicated that more jobs need to be created, 64 per cent reported more community action was needed, 32 per cent said they wanted more anti-drug education and 22 per cent reported that more police action was needed.
DOES DETOXIFICATION HELP?
Many drug treatment programmes, especially for ganja have a low success rates. In fact, in the best of treatment programmes only about one-third of children are really helped for ganja addiction.
STEPS TO DEAL WITH CHILDREN WHO ARE USING GANJA
1. Reassure your child that you love him/her and provide as much love and emotional support as possible.
2. Reduce the constant preaching and teaching. After a while your child would have stopped listening to you.
3. Choose your battles. Remember, it is not important to win all the battles but what is more important is that you win the wars.
4. Have your child properly evaluated by a competent professional. Many persons can do greater harm than good if they do not know how to deal with substance abuse problems.
5. Ensure that as parents you seek treatment to deal with your anger and frustrations.
6. If your child has a problem with ganja smoking and you want to assist them, call 977-1108 for a special programme that will be introduced this summer.
Dr. Wendel Abel is a consultant psychiatrist and senior lecturer, University of the West Indies; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.
