Drug smuggling on and off school premises

By: Luviwe Pinda

Drug smuggling and use has become a common practice by school children who often find themselves in situations, where they may be forced into smuggling drugs and alcohol into the school premises. Such incidents often happen during the course of the year, end of year farewells, mid-year and final exams. This is mostly because of the stereotype by teenagers that drug use makes you cool and accepted by your peers.

This result to criminal activities to some and most end up not paying attention to educational programs and that teenager get sexually assaulted; several crimes are committed immediately after using any type of drug and some become mentally ill. A worst case scenario, Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa Nqakula’s son, Chumani, was killed last week Saturday, and it appears that the accused admitted to constraining the murder.

According to the stats released by the Hospital Association of South Africa (HASA), show that there was an increasing number of young teenagers at young age than 20 being admitted to treatment centres. Approximately, the average age of Mandrax users, is just about 21, whereas, across the country, the age for dagga users ranges from 19 – 21.