Drugs reach Bengaluru schools, addicts are as young as 11 to 12

Bengaluru has a big problem on its hands; and it will require the joint effort of police,

parents

and schools to fix it. Kids as young as 11 or 12 are getting exposed – and addicted -- to

narcotics like ganja.

For some time now, Whatsapp forwards have been doing the rounds warning parents about “drugs” popularly known as “strawberry quick” or “strawberry pop rocks”; it’s supposed to be a “circular” pasted on a

school

“notice board” and has been reported by various newspapers in Bengaluru, Mumbai and even Delhi. That circular is most probably a hoax. But this article is not about the Whatsapp forward.

What this article is about is the penetration of narcotics in school grounds; it’s about students who may have turned addicts and are doubling up as peddlers to support their own drug dependency.

Here are some facts and figures: At least two to three adolescent patients (including 11-12 year olds) are referred to the out-patient department of the de-addiction clinic at the National Institute of

Mental Health

and Neurological Sciences (Nimhans) each day that it operates (it accepts patients on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays). At a conservative estimate, that puts the number of patients around 300 every year. And recently, a prominent public school in North Bengaluru sought police help to conduct a special session for their teachers to spot and identify various kinds of narcotic substances so that they could seize these contrabands found in possession of children.

“Usually, schools prefer to keep such incidents away from enforcement agencies fearing their reputation but we are now taking initiatives to tackle it effectively. The training session was conducted in December and we discussed various kinds of contraband stuff that was in circulation among students, including e-cigarettes to narcotic substances so that the teachers could be on alert,” said a police official involved in the event.

Dr Vivek Benegal, Head of Centre for Addiction medicine at Nimhans, said that though majority of the cases involving young children involved ganja usage, there were cases of kids toying with synthetic drugs like LSD. He also pointed out that it was a serious problem which had to be tackled with a multi-pronged strategy involving medical, law enforcement, teachers and parents.

“Earlier schools used to have an unsympathetic approach to students caught using them fearing their reputation. They used to rusticate the students after informing the parents. But now there is a slight improvement in the situation as we do get cases referred to us from these institutions in the city,” Dr Benegal said.

“Children brought to the de-addiction centre hail from all social strata, including lower middle class, middle class and the affluent families,” he added.

According to sources, schools in the city have been focussing on creating drug awareness and some of them have even started carrying out periodic inspection of the student’s possessions to ensure that such items are not brought to school campuses. According to police officials, the teachers of the school where the session for teachers was conducted in December were also explained about e-cigarettes as it was also found very popular among children. They have also issued circulars to the
parents warning them about the ill-effects of narcotic substances and e-cigarettes.

“They can be kept in the pocket and mistaken for a black fountain pen. It has nicotine in liquid form (which in itself can prove fatal) and is battery-operated. It is now quite popular among schoolchildren,” said a senior police official involved in the program.

So, should you be worried?

SK Sinha, zonal director of

Narcotics Control Bureau

(NCB), Bengaluru, pointed out that although most of the Whatsapp forwards like the one warning about strawberry meth or strawberry quick were hoaxes, there was a growing need to tackle the narcotic trafficking issue. He also pointed out that since students were the main target group for drug peddlers, several awareness seminars were being conducted at educational institutions.

“Most forms of high-end narcotics are tasteless so they can be used to spike eatables and other items if converted into liquid state. But hash oil (liquid form of ganja) has a peculiar taste and the person consuming it (candy, chocolate or ice cream) will immediately realize that something is off,” Sinha said.

Synthetic drugs like LSD are very expensive and it makes little sense for peddlers to push them packaged in candy, and that too in schools. There is a popular misconception that once one has tasted LSD, one becomes addicted to it. LSD consumption is need-based and thus no peddler would give out free candy, say experts.

Sinha said that educational institutes regularly help them with information. “We have had cases where peddlers were caught on the basis of the information that was forwarded to us by some educational institutions, mainly colleges,” he added.

The city police have been found wanting in curbing the menace. Shashi Kumar, General Secretary of Associated Management of English Medium Schools in Karnataka (KAMS), said that the law enforcement agencies have failed to even curb the sale of tobacco products to school children within 100 metres of educational institutions.

He also pointed out that there have been repeated submissions to the city police to have beat patrolling near schools especially during morning and evening hours when the students arrive and leave the school campuses to ensure they were not lured by any anti-social elements.

S Ravi, Additional Commissioner (Crime),

Bengaluru Police

, said that the department was charting out a plan to crack down on people that supply narcotics and contrabands in schools and colleges. He also pointed out that as far as shops and commercial establishments indulging in such activities was concerned, the department would liaison with the BBMP and ensure that the trade licences of such shops are revoked permanently.

Police failure or a health issue?

A couple of weeks back, the Narcotics Control Bureau received an e-mail from a man residing near Jayanagar seeking the bureau’s help to “repair (sic) his two teenaged boys who were addicted to ganja and had turned peddlers to support their addiction”. Officers are wondering whether they should follow the case to track down the suppliers or suggest medical help and counselling for the teens.

“Once children get addicted, they often start peddling it to financially support their addiction; it is common. Often, they get access to these substance through their peers and not directly from peddlers,” Dr Benegal said.

He also pointed out that the biggest challenge in fighting narcotics was the dilemma to whether treat it as a law and order problem or a health issue. He pointed out that there should be systematic approach rather than an occasional blitzkrieg on narcotics to ensure end results for the benefit of the addicted people.

“We should make people aware of the health and legal issues laid down in the NDPS Act. The enforcement agencies should also ensure that a cut down in supply should
coincide with a reduction in demand for these substances to make the ‘war on drugs’ effective. Otherwise, it would be counter-productive,” he said.

Dr Benegal also pointed out that it was often found that contrary to the proper beliefs, the adolescents found using these substances often react positively when they are explained about its harmful effects on their health along with the implications on their social lives than older addicts.


It’s a hoax

This “circular” on school “notice boards” has foxed many parents, newspapers. Why? Because drug-laced candy is an old tale. Synthetic drugs are expensive; one does not get addicted to it by tasting it once or twice. And peddlers do not like to hand out free candy

What you can do

Talk to your children regularly: Ask them to be aware of their surroundings and approach the teacher/principal if they notice something amiss

Interact with the school: Ensure that your child’s school has enough mechanisms in place to ensure narcotics, e-cigarettes are not reaching it

Force police to act: That narcotics are reaching educational institutions, that too schools, shows that police have completely lost the plot. Put pressure on them in whatever way you can and force them to crack down.