Senior Reporter
jensen.lavende@guardian.co.tt
Traumatologist Hanif Benjamin says more needs to be done urgently to address the growing trend of synthetic drug use in the country. Speaking with Guardian Media at his Pasea Street, Tunapuna, office, Benjamin addressed the concerns raised on Monday by National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds.
During a press conference, Hinds said a constituent told him of the prevalence of Molly and other synthetic drugs in the community. He lamented that the ease of accessing the drugs was concerning as it made the users lose their inhibitions.
“From what I heard this morning, it makes our young daughters, very, very, less restrictive on the way they conduct themselves as young women. Party and frolic, they are not as protective of themselves as in some cases they should be.” He said the downer mood after the drug use is sadness and depression, and this forces people to get high on it again.
Hinds said he asked the Ministry of Health to go into the community and conduct “some programmes” to educate the people about the dangers of synthetic drugs.
Benjamin, the founder of the Centre for Human Development, said before this became the new epidemic, a concerted effort must be taken to address it. Benjamin said Molly was a party drug used in the affluent parts of the country, as Molly costs between $100 and $200 a pill.
“Let us not wait for the epidemic to become; let us do preventative work. We know it’s there; we know it’s on the rise. We know that there is a certain population that utilises it. Let us begin to zero in and let us strengthen the laws on protecting our children in relation to drugs. If we begin to do those things, we will be doing better for our children and our families.”
Benjamin added that while the State must step up, parents and guardians should look out for the signs of drug use in the children–changes in behaviour, moods, aggressions, constant sleeping and changes in appetite.
“Pay attention to your child,” he added.
Criminologist Dr Daurius Figueira is questioning if the drug in circulation is Molly or meth. He said the lab testing to prove one over the others is not being done. He said the way the supposed users describe the feeling they get from using the drug is closer to meth than Molly. “That is the problem that we face in Trinidad and Tobago,” he said, adding that meth is a drug in circulation. He said prolonged use of meth leads to toothless, mentally ill people with no inhibitions.
The lack of self-control because of using synthetic drugs was something seen by Pastor Clive Dottin, who said the regional leaders should step up to address the growing problem of synthetic drugs.