Drug Ecstasy: Bringing Misery and Agony to the Guyana nation

Mar 05, 2019 Letters

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DEAR EDITOR,

Firstly permit me to offer condolences to the grieving family of Vanica Schultz, the 15 year old student of Mae’s School, and also to a nation that should certainly be in mourning for one of its potential future leader. Needless to say, her demise has brought many issues to the fore, issues that not only highlight the modus operandi of current governmental agencies in Guyana, their lethargic molasses-type manner of action, but above all reflects the country’s level of commercial progress.
Just a mere three months ago on September 18, 2018, the Deputy Head of Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU), Leslie Ramlall, sounded the clarion, making the nation aware that the said drug Ecstasy was gaining a strong foothold among the young population especially children attending schools.
He further asserted that the drug was readily available at many nightclubs and parties, which was a new trend but an extremely worrisome one for the nation. Investigations into several schools in Regions Three and Four revealed the use of Ecstasy among students of Regions Three and Four, as well as popping up in several schools across the nation. https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2018/09/18/ectasy-found-in-schools-we-are-losing-the-battle.
Also throwing in his two bits to further strengthen this admonition, the Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan said, “To see it in schools means that we are losing the battle. It is a bad thing.” He implored parents, religious institutions, and communities to assist law enforcement agencies in the fight against the illicit and licit drugs. We’ve become too individualistic and even don’t care about some of our children.” https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2018/09/18/ecstasy-found-in-schools-we-are-losing-the-battle-khemraj-ramjattan/. An old adage runs thus: If shark say sea deep, believe him, he live ‘ah’ sea. The premonitory words were being uttered unbridled from the horse’s mouth, why was credence not applied.
Now here we are, four months later surrounded by increasing sensationalism over something that we had been prior forewarned and should have acted upon if we wanted to forestall harm. Were any of the afore-mentioned recommendations acted upon? If so, what form did the follow-up take? The nation should hang its head in collective shame as this case emphasizes and strengthen Ramjattan’s plea. Now drug education should be made compulsory for all schoolchildren, for the fewer children comprehend the effects of drugs, the more likely is a recurrence of such incidents. The death should galvanize public debate.
In 1912, a chemist attached to the German pharmaceutical company Merck created Ecstasy, originally known as “Methylsafrylaminc,” and in close social circles as “Molly”, with the intent being to amalgamate medications that control bleeding. The drug proved to be a failure and was relegated to a shelf life until the 1950’s when the government experimented with it and other drugs. https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2018/02/23/ecstasy-90-s-party-drug-makes-roaring-comeback/329259002/. In the 1970s and early 1980s, it gained a small following among psychiatrists, despite not having been tested or received approval from the U.S Food and Drug Administration for use in humans.
It was the belief by some psychiatrists that during patient sessions the drug improved communication and permitted the patients to gain insight into their problems. It was also during this time that the drug became more widely available on the streets. In 1985, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) declared an emergency ban on the drug, and placed it on the list of Schedule1drugs, which are defined as substances with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. From since then remained a Schedule I substance since then, with the exception of a brief period of time between 1987 and 1988. The FDA endorsed the first human trial exploring whether Methylsafrylaminc (MDMA) could help relieve pain in terminally ill patients, as well as serve as an adjunct to psychotherapy. In the early 1990s, the FDA approved the first human trial exploring whether MDMA could help relieve pain in terminally ill patients, as well as serve as an appurtenance to psychotherapy.
Many associate Molly’s resurgence to the return of electronic Dance Music and pulsating Euro Beat that has infiltrated the sound of pop radio acts like Rihanna, Kesha and Katy Perry. Madonna was criticized at the Ultra Music Festival for asking the audience, “How many people in the crowd have seen Molly?’’. Rappers have also embraced Molly with references to Molly appearing in lyrics by the likes of Kanye West and Lil Wayne who raps: “Pop a Molly, smoke a blunt that means I am a high roller. Singer Miley Cyrus has two songs glorifying the drug Molly “Popped a molly and you know, you know you’ll never stop, you think I’m turnt up, wait until my album drops,” the 20-year-old raps on the remix of “Ain’t Worried About Nothin’.” This followed her single “We Can’t Stop” which included a line about “dancing with molly.”
The nation cannot allow parents to undergo further higher personal losses, with a resultant diminution in the number of future leaders. The taxpayers should lobby immediately for changes in the way the seemingly laughable courts operate. This case may be used as the test case. It is my expressed hope that the pharmacist with whom the deceased shared a relationship be held accountable both by the legal system, and also face harsh punitive action by his licensing body. Reportedly, he was also a drug merchant as he claims to have given Vanika drugs to sell to those at her school. Such an action not only opens a different kettle of fish, or can of worms but also leaves ajar the question of the observance level of those in the immediate pedantic environment, and by extension the home environment.
The Director of Mae’s School, Paul Burnette, has announced that the students will now be subjected to random drug testing following obtaining prior parental authorization. While such a gesture may appear as a move in the right direction, nevertheless it pales in comparison to other moves that should precede it. The home environment is of prime importance as well as those in immediate contact with the student within the home environment. Psychologists claim that if teens are in a place where they are looking for acceptance and a sense of belonging, then they are most likely at a greater risk of abuse.

Yvonne Sam

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