Pubdate: Thu, 16 Nov 2006
Source: Manila Times (Philippines)
Copyright: 2006, The Manila Times
Contact:  http://www.manilatimes.net/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/921
Author: William B, Depasupil, Reporter
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?236 (Corruption - Outside U.S.)

DRUG ABUSE DECLINES, BUT NUMBERS ALARMING

GOVERNMENT efforts for a drug-free Philippines may be  gaining 
ground, but the number of high-school students  all over the country 
who use or have used illegal drugs  remains a cause for alarm.

Dr. Benjamin Reyes, program manager of Treatment and  Rehabilitation 
Centers of the Department of Health,  said on Wednesday that 0.8 
percent, or 160,000, of the  20 million students in both private and 
public  secondary schools are into drugs.

"The drugs or illegal substance used by the students  are marijuana, 
shabu or solvent," said Reyes at the  weekly Meet the Press Forum of 
the National Press Club.

He said the figure was based on results of random  testing conducted 
by the Departments of Health and of  Education in 287 secondary 
schools nationwide from June  2004 to March 2005.

He said 67, or 0.8 percent, of the 8,670 students  tested positive. 
He added that 54 percent preferred  marijuana, while the rest used 
shabu or solvent. The  students belonged to the 11- to 20-year age 
group. All  those found to be drug users were male.

Reyes clarified that not all of those who tested  positive are 
addicts who require treatment and  rehabilitation. But he said most 
of them definitely  need counseling and monitoring, which is exactly 
what  the departments are doing.

He warned throwing the students into rehabilitation  cen-ters with 
certified drug addicts would only make  the problem worse. He said 
care must be taken that  these young people do not acquire additional 
knowledge  about the use of illegal drugs from hardened drug  addicts.

Secretary Anselmo Avenido Jr., chairman of the  Dangerous Drugs 
Board, said the country's drug-abuse  problem remains at an alarming 
level despite apparent  drop in drug use as may be gleaned from the 
declining  admission rates in rehabilitation centers.

Avenido said that admission rates in rehabilitation  centers have 
been going down in the last few years,  noting that some centers that 
can accommodate as many  as 10,000 patients for rehabilitation now 
have about  half of their usual number of patients in the past.

He said the government effort to arrest drug dealers  and pushers 
made it difficult for the young people to  obtain drugs. He said 
available record points to a  decline in drug use.

Avenido said the DOH-accredited drug-testing centers  reveal that the 
number of those who tested positive for  drug use has declined, from 
0.19 percent in 2004 to 0.1  percent in 2005 and to 0.04 percent as 
of October this  year.

He denied that narcopolitics already rules the country.  "I don't 
believe we are in a state where Colombia was  many years ago when 
drug money found its way into  nearly the entire government 
bureaucracy," he said.

But he admitted there are politicians and government  officials, 
including those in law enforcement, who are  involved in the illegal 
drugs trade.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom