Source: New Zealand Herald Pubdate: Thu, 26 Sep 2002 Copyright: 2002 New Zealand Herald Contact: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/300 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth) Author: Dita De Boni, Education Reporter PLEA FOR HELP TO COMBAT DRUGS IN SCHOOLS Some secondary school students have told their teachers they will be taking time off school during the cannabis harvest season. Delegates to the PPTA's 50th annual conference in Wellington this week will ask for more resources to combat what the union describes as a very serious problem in schools, especially in rural areas with high Maori populations. One South Island delegate said students were openly telling their teachers they would be taking time off during "harvest" time, and several teachers spoke of "stoned" students who could not be disciplined or controlled in classrooms. "We know our kids are stoned out there [in schools] but how do we help them?" asked Southland observer Wiki Te Tau. "What are the external agencies going to do to help us?" A PPTA paper said schools had come under the spotlight from parents, external agencies, the media and society at large, and many felt the need to act with some determination. As a result, drug-related suspensions amounted to almost a third of all suspensions and more than half of those were Maori students. Many schools were dealing with a range of drugs. Speed had gained a strong foothold and hydroponically grown cannabis - a more potent form - was becoming more prevalent. Drug use was typically beginning in third and fourth form, delegates heard. Teachers were divided on decriminalisation, although many said they would be against it because of the effects of smoking they had seen in their classrooms. Few contested the verdict on cannabis put to the conference: that the use of the drug was having a detrimental effect on learning and could have a serious impact on long-term learning. A paper said drug-testing in schools was controversial "because both a saliva test for alcohol and urine test for cannabis or other drugs involves taking bodily fluids and that constitutes search and seizure". "It also has potentially serious consequences for a student, with a positive drug test or the refusal to give a sample often resulting in suspension or expulsion." Delegates were unwilling to discuss cannabis problems in particular schools, in part because the admission of cannabis use made schools less attractive in a competitive environment. Brian Harrison, a delegate from the Thames Valley, said all schools faced the issue of cannabis use, although Fantasy and Ecstasy had also become popular. He said teachers reported some children coming to class late after "hard weekends ... looking dopey and unable to concentrate". Teachers found it difficult to deal with students' transition from cigarettes to cannabis and the bad manners and confrontational behaviour that often accompanied the use of cannabis. Teachers could either report the use and destroy the trust they had built up with the student or do nothing and risk condemnation from parents. PPTA executive member and Gisborne teacher Timoti Maru said Maori student users needed help from Maori pastoral workers. "The drug issue ... has created an enormous workload for Maori teachers, who spend an enormous amount of time on pastoral care and other steps they need to take to address the issue." He said schools were overburdened with a community problem and did not have the resources to deal with the issue. Mr Maru said he did not favour decriminalisation and felt many of his Maori colleagues would agree. "[Criminalisation] is a useful deterrent ... but we need a cohesive national plan with which to address [cannabis] use in this country." PPTA Auckland regional chairman Allan Papprill said Auckland teachers were hoping for an endorsement of the union's policy and a recognition that the drug problem was a serious one.