Ecstasy found in schools - “We are losing the battle” - Khemraj Ramjattan

Ecstasy found in schools – “We are losing the battle” – Khemraj Ramjattan

Sep 18, 2018 News

Ecstasy, the popular synthetic drug commonly known among youths as “The Pill or Molly”

“There is a growing presence of ‘Ecstasy’ among our young population especially children attending schools. The drug now seems readily available at many night clubs and parties”, said Deputy Head of Customs Anti Narcotic Unit (CANU), Leslie Ramlall.

During the opening ceremony of the annual CANU Training, Ramlall said investigations into several schools in Regions Three and Four led to the discovery of Ecstasy use among students.

Ecstasy, which is also known as Molly or the ‘Pill’, is an illegal synthetic drug. It is sometimes referred to as a “date rape drug” because it is used as an incapacitating agent which when administered to another person, incapacitates the person and renders them vulnerable to drug-facilitated sexual assault, including rape.

Ramlall said, “While most of our seizures would have indicated that cannabis and cocaine are the dominant narcotics, I urge you to take serious note of the synthetic drugs such as heroin, ecstasy and crystal methamphetamine, all of which were seized by the Unit in 2018.

“This is certainly a new trend and a very worrying one for Guyana,” he said.

The synthetic drug, which often comes in a pill form innocently resembles hard-candy, has been popping up in several schools in the country.

Public Security Minister, Khemraj Ramjattan said, “To see it in schools means that we are losing the battle. It is a bad thing.”

From a social aspect of the war on drugs, the Public Security Minister also called on parents, religious institutions, and communities to assist law enforcement agencies in the fight against the illicit and licit drugs.

He pleaded with parents to be more caring and involved in their children’s lives. “We’ve become too individualistic and even don’t care about some of our children,” Ramjattan said.