Authorities are raising serious concerns about the role of family environments in exposing children to illegal substances, following reports of students being caught with drugs in schools.

During a recent consultation on substance abuse prevention, an official from the Substance Abuse Advisory Council revealed a troubling case last year involving a Class One student allegedly peddling drugs at school. It is claimed the drugs were supplied by the child’s father.

Substance Abuse Advisory Council senior counsellor Mere Guivalu says there are growing fears that some children are being introduced to drugs at home, not just through peer pressure.

Guivalu says one of the key challenges is the increasing involvement of students in drug selling, as well as substance use linked to sports performance enhancement during major school sporting events.

She adds that there is usually a spike in cases reported during large-scale competitions such as the Coca-Cola Games.

Meanwhile, Acting Medical Superintendent of St Giles Hospital, Dr Sheetal Singh, warns that children raised in environments where drug use or distribution is normalized face a much higher risk of developing substance dependency.

“Now if a parent is allowing a child to sell drugs at that young age, then that parent will not have any say in future when it comes to that child growing up and opting to use drugs. The parents might not be able to draw a line and say no, because they have already accommodated the selling of the drug.”

Dr Singh stresses that while schools are strengthening counselling services and drug awareness programs, prevention must begin at home.

“So I think it is really not just the choice of how fast one person wants to earn money, but it is also a choice that you are showing your children — that it is alright if you are opting to drugs, either for money or as a way of coping with the stresses they come across.”

Authorities are now calling for stronger collaboration between families, communities, schools and law enforcement agencies to address what they describe as a growing and deeply concerning trend.

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