–if law against drug possession becomes too lax

DRUG Treatment Specialist, Philip Drayton has advised that the removal of mandatory jail time for possession of small amounts of marijuana can result in a spike in mental health issues in Guyana due to drug abuse.

This being the case, he is urging the government not to amend the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act; an advice that would not sit well with the Rastafarian Community, which has been advocating for the opposite.

Drayton, Chairman of LIFE REFORM, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) geared at tackling drug abuse in Guyana, was among specialists addressing factors influencing mental health disorders during a recent workshop at Fort Wellington, organised by SAVE Guyana in collaboration with the Public Health Ministry’s Region Five Department of Health.

While the proposed Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) (Amendment) Bill is not intended to decriminalise the possession of marijuana but rather end custodial penalties for small amounts, Drayton said such a move may reduce the number of persons being incarcerated, but may also deepen the issue of drug abuse in the country, and simultaneously increase the number of persons experiencing mental disorders.

In the absence of imprisonment, a person charged with possession of a small quantity of marijuana may be asked to pay a fine, do community service and or undergo rehabilitation, if the legislation amended, the Drayton reasoned, while noting that those options may eliminate the burden on correctional institutions.

COULD WORSEN
But, he said, the issue of drug abuse would not be addressed. The situation, he warned, could worsen, creating greater problems for the public health sector.
“Rehabilitation might not be successful, simply because someone cannot force rehabilitation on an individual. The user must come to self-awareness that change is needed in order to become a productive, responsible and reliable member of society, and not because a magistrate recommends it, or because family, friends or loved ones desire it,” he said, adding:

“If this is not addressed, the user will have a reservation to use simply because he or she is in the pre-contemplation stage (denial), where they don’t see the need for transformation.”
He emphasised that removing custodial sentencing will not address the abuse of drug in the country. “We are still not addressing the problem on a much more fundamental basis,” he posited. Instead of amending the legislation, Drayton said, the government should consider more ways in which it can stop persons from using drugs, including marijuana. That way, he said, they would not have cause to face the courts for possession of illegal substances.

“We need to tackle this situation by implementing a 0.5 level of attention (awareness) so persons can have facts-based information, coping, life and refusal skills, so that they can conduct life in a more cognitive way,” Drayton said.
He told participants that the situation of substance abuse in Guyana is already a major issue, and it should not be compounded.

Local statistics, Drayton said, show that the country’s most vulnerable group for use of illegal substances and abuse of drugs and alcohol are young people, with many of them having first contact when they are between the ages of 10 and 14 years. To an extent, the Drug Treatment Specialist blamed parents for exposing their children to alcohol from an early age, and in some cases marijuana, without considering the consequences.
With substance misuse more common among males than females, statistics show that the most widely used and misused substances in society are alcohol, marijuana, tobacco, pills and ‘crack’ or cocaine.
“Users of alcohol and tobacco are three times more likely than non-users to have an opportunity to try marijuana, and users of alcohol and tobacco are seven times more likely to use marijuana, with a marijuana exposure opportunity. Users of marijuana are 15 times more likely to use cocaine with cocaine exposure opportunity,” Drayton detailed.

STAGES OF MISUSE
It was explained that there are seven stages of misuse: Exposure, experimentation, recreation, regular use, abuse, compulsion and dependence. In the case of regular use, the expert said, the individual seeks out the drug, but the use is more frequent until it becomes part of his or her lifestyle. According to Drayton, 70 per cent of society is at this stage.
A drug is abused, he said, when the individual keeps using it despite the negative consequences of its use. He went on to explain that it is at this stage that persons begin to sever their relationships with family and friends.
With compulsion, he said, the person experiences cravings that become very difficult to manage and control, slowly becoming an unproductive member of society. Their sleeping pattern also changes, and if not addressed it could take decades to break.
“At the last stage: Dependence, the frequency of use increases. The individual continues despite the difficulties with functioning in everyday life, loses control of the drug use, and the drug becomes the main focus of life,” the therapist explained as he advocated for persons to stop misusing drugs or using illicit substances.

BE WATCHDOGS
He urged the social, welfare, police and education officers present to be watchdogs in their communities, noting that the situation in some schools calls for urgent attention.
“Mood and mind-altering substances are creating chaos in our educational institutions; marijuana and its different strains (local, poppy, jammie, sour diesel, OG kush, Blue Dream etc.) used in its different forms (edible etc.) are causing a tremendous drop in attention span among our youths, making them incapable of functioning as a productive member in school and society at large. Not forgetting ecstasy, Molly, crack/cocaine, alcohol and tobacco. What is commonly used is called “Leen”…which is a mixture of “codeine and cocoa cola” and “tussadryl with sprite” and is causing youths to experience laceration across the chest, respiratory organ failures and irregular heartbeats. Our youths are in danger, and they don’t understand the real dangers of addiction,” Drayton explained as he painted a vivid picture of the situation.
Generally, abuse or misuse of drugs affects the central nervous system. “One’s

biochemistry is affected by individual characteristics such as health status, weight and genetics, including a predisposition towards chemical misuse,” he explained. Psychologically, it affects feelings, emotions, and one’s subjective experience in the world.
Warning of the consequences, Drayton called on those present to discourage the misuse of drugs, and use of illicit drugs in schools and in society as a whole.