FORTY percent of teenagers nationwide are not aware of the risks associated with any form of substance use, and a key factor in reducing the demand for drugs within the society is to target youths.

This is according to Head of the Guyana Drug Information Network within the National Anti-Narcotics Agency (NANA) Tiffany Barry.

She said the aim is to equip youths with the tools and skills needed to build resilience, self- confidence, and other life-skills to make informed decisions.

Underscoring that substance use in society continues to increase with law enforcement agencies uncovering the sale of ecstasy to school children, Barry noted that this spans across several regions of Guyana, in both public and private schools.

“In addition to the use of ecstasy, it was discovered that the use of alcohol among young children is a very prevalent occurrence despite laws governing the sale of alcohol to persons under the age of 18 years old,” she noted.

Armed with this knowledge, Barry said that NANA has been collaborating with several key stakeholders to spread awareness to youths about the impact that substance use and early initiation into substance use can have on their bodies and lives.

Since its establishment and launch in 2017, she said the agency has been advancing initiatives set forth in the National Drug Strategy Master Plan 2016-2020, which outlines the need for drug prevention programmes targeting youth in schools and communities.
Further, she said NANA has been collaborating with the Guyana Police Force Narcotics Branch, Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU), the Ministry of Education’s Health Promotions Unit and NGO partners such as Social Life Issues to engage young people at various youth camps across Georgetown, including the Sophia Community.

Additionally, Ms. Barry said that the messages on a drug-free and healthy lifestyle were taken to youngsters at the Malteenoes and Demerara Cricket Clubs annual cricket camps.
Earlier this year, she said the agency also participated in the Health Expo organized by the Ministry of Public Health.

“The agency is keen on focusing on the promotion of sports and other extra-curricular activities to positively engage our youth and to promote healthy communities,” she said.
She explained that the agency aims to continue these types of drug awareness activities while it continues to engage key stakeholders on plans to integrate drug prevention messages into long term and structured school and community based programmes.