Workshop aims to help teachers detect student drug use

As concerns grow about possible drug use among school-aged children, the National Council on Substance Abuse (NCSA) on Thursday began training teachers to help identify students who may be using drugs.

The NCSA hosted the first in a series of workshops aimed at working with schools and other stakeholders to combat substance abuse in communities.

Makeda Bourne, Substance Abuse Prevention Officer and Coordinator of the programme, said the “Signs and Symptoms of Drug Use” workshop for 65 teachers will focus on strengthening educators’ knowledge and skills to recognise possible drug use.

“We want teachers to be able to identify drugs if they happen to see something that they suspect to be a drug or paraphernalia. We also want them to be aware of signs in terms of if a person is using a drug, what are some of these symptoms and what to do if they suspect a young person or even another person, adult, who is using a drug, what they can do in terms of approaching that person and how to get help for that person.”

The workshop, held at the Erdiston Teachers’ Training College, will also include a demonstration by police officers displaying actual drugs and paraphernalia.

President of the Barbados Union of Teachers, Rudy Lovell, said teachers are often among the first to notice when students are facing difficulties, including substance use.

“As teachers, we are often among the first to observe the challenges young people face, including those related to substance use and its impact on their lives, families, and school communities. We hope to deepen awareness, enhance prevention efforts and equip teachers with tools that support early intervention and positive guidance for our students.”

Chairman of the NCSA Board, Hadford Howell, suggested that schools could also introduce creative initiatives to raise awareness about substance abuse among younger students.

“Perhaps it is timely that a similar, if somewhat less intensive or slightly different contest might be organized to enable older primary school students to capture and showcase in word, art, or both what their understanding of the signs and symptoms of drug abuse might be.”

Howell also argued that parents and communities must take primary responsibility for protecting children.

“Should it not be the home, the family and community environment, i.e., parents, guardians, and other family members and leaders within the communities where they reside, who should be at the forefront of protecting our children?”

He warned that evolving drug trends are making prevention efforts more challenging.

“Four identifiable reasons might be: the emergence of new psychoactive substances and other synthetic drugs, substances entering markets faster than conventional monitoring systems can detect, increased drug adulteration, that is, making something poorer in quality by adding another substance or substances, and shifts in availability, distribution, and patterns of use.”