Drugs devastate lives

Congressmen and staff to be drug tested

In an effort to crack down drug abuse and drug trafficking in the government, the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) starting August 2004 implemented random drug testing among government employees, beginning with the members of the House of Representatives and their staff.

Knowing the ravaging effects of substance abuse, the ill-health it causes, and the general corruption it generates in the person, there is no question that illegal drugs,  their manufacturer, dealers and abusers have no place in our society. The earlier we stem the problem, the safer and the better for our people, especially for our children.

This is a good starting place, the public officials we elected to office and their staff. But this move would be effective only when done honestly, thoroughly, and without exception. No sacred bulls. No “untouchables.” No compadre privileges. The drug testing among our government employees will hopefully, and eventually soon, include the Senators and their staff, all the branches of the government, not only the legislative, but the executive and judicial as well. And, of course, war against drugs in the government should not stop there. The testing should spread to the provincial and city officials and employees.

And to be more comprehensive, the private sectors all over the country would do well to be extra vigilant in identifying drug users in their midst, because it is a well-known fact that the work place is not immune from this social malady.

Statistics from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) reported that “since July 2002 there have been more than 11,500 anti-drug busts that led to the arrest of 14,500 people, including 8,000 users, 6,200 pushers, 8 marijuana growers and 26 financiers.”

Presently, thionyl chloride, ephedrine and ketamine are considered controlled substances but the PDEA is recommending for these drugs to be re-classified as dangerous drugs to make obtaining them more restrictive.

Ketamine, for one, is becoming popular among young people, and an amphetamine-type stimulant is an ingredient in the notorious “Ecstasy” pill, considered “a drug of choice” among abusers. Thionyl chloride is used to illegally produce “shabu,” a drug quite “in demand” in the Philippines. Cough syrups, sold over the counter, are ingested by those addicted to codeine and by desperate alcoholics.

Obviously, there is no data on how “brains have been fried by drugs” in this country, but it is certainly significant, especially among students. One drug abuser is one too many. But the side-victims of every abuser are  countless—geometrically proportional to the number of relatives, friends, and other people around this sick individual.

This commendable campaign of the PDEA should spread like wild fire, if only to protect our children, and society in general, from getting “cremated alive.” Indeed, its about time!

What is substance or drug abuse?

Substance or drug abuse is the frequent, habitual, and compulsive use, not uncommonly in excess (by ingestion or inhalation) of a certain drug, chemical or substance, or combination thereof, without any legitimate medical indication or prescription, to quell a strong craving (physical and psychological dependence) for such substance. Abstinence from the drug results in an unpleasant and painful physical reaction.

How about prescription drugs?

Prescription drugs, psycho-active substances, intended for a medical condition, may also be abused. It is very common to hear of people getting addicted to pain pills that contain codeine or morphine (opiates), or to tranquilizers and sedatives, etc.

Are there health personnel who are drug addicts?

Yes, the medical profession and allied health sectors are not immune to substance abuse, either with drugs and/or alcohol. I personally know of a bright, aggressive, very promising young, self-made millionaire-physician in Northwest Indiana, who had a booming medical practice for about a decade. He, somehow, developed addiction to cocaine. As could be expected, in less than five years, he lost his license to practice medicine, all his money, and the custody of his two children. With a ruined reputation in the community, he had to leave town, penniless and a broken man.

Nurses, anesthesiologists, dentists have their share of this problem. Since they have access to drugs, some nurses get hooked to controlled substances for pains; anesthesiologists and dentists, to anesthetic inhalants, that give them highs or those that sedate and “numb” their troubled senses. Three of the most common agents are nubain, morphine and dormicum.

However, most unfortunately, drugs dealers are merciless and do not exempt poverty from their clutches of greed. Countless people, most of them youngsters, in the poorest stratum of society are being victimized and robbed daily of their last peso by these purveyors of devastation.

What is the death rate from addiction?

Of the 19.5 million Americans over the age of 12 using illicit drugs, more than 19,000 die of drug-abuse related causes each year. Many of those who survive and continue to indulge in drug abuse live a life worst than death.

How can we prevent drug abuse?

This is a social dilemma in most civilized and industrialized nations around the world. The problem of drug abuse is of such magnitude and complexity that only a genuinely honest, compassionate and determined government can help contain. Strict parental guidance and discipline at home, appropriate and early education about the evils of substance abuse and vigilance of teachers at all school levels, together with an active community policing strategy against drug traffickers and users would be effective deterrent and preventive measures against drug abuse and addiction. To put it simply, if there are no buyers, there will not be sellers.

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