Youth substance abuse reaching ‘alarming’ levels - Health Minister warns

Youth substance abuse reaching ‘alarming’ levels – Health Minister warns

Jun 30, 2026 News

…as 80% of secondary students admit to vaping, cannabis and alcohol use

(Kaieteur News) – Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony has raised concerns over alarming levels of substance use among Guyana’s secondary school students, revealing that 43% of those recently screened admitted to consuming alcohol.

Speaking on Friday at an awareness ceremony to mark the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, Dr. Anthony disclosed that 6,039 secondary school students were screened earlier this year. The findings showed that 43% had consumed alcohol, 32% reported vaping, while 5% admitted to using cannabis.

Youth substance abuse reaching ‘alarming’ levels - Health Minister warns

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony speaking at the Awareness Ceremony in observance of International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on Friday, at the ministry’s Brickdam office.

“Of the 6,039 students that we screened at the secondary school level, at least 43% said they have consumed alcohol, and the next more prevalent thing was vaping. So, 32% of these children said they would usually vape, and that must be alarming to us,” the health minister said.

Describing the figures as troubling, Dr. Anthony stressed the need for stronger intervention programmes to prevent substance use among young people from worsening. He noted that alcohol often serves as a gateway to the use of more dangerous drugs and called for closer collaboration between the Ministries of Health and Education to build resilience among students and help them resist peer pressure.

Addressing local officials and international partners at the ceremony, the minister also underscored the importance of a coordinated response to substance abuse, saying the problem is too widespread for any single agency or country to tackle on its own. While commending the work of the Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU), he stressed that prevention, education and treatment must remain national priorities.

Dr. Anthony also announced a partnership with Mount Sinai Hospital that will see local healthcare professionals receive specialist training in addiction medicine, strengthening Guyana’s capacity to treat substance use disorders.

“If there’s any takeaway, let’s think about what we can do to prevent harm in our children,” the minister urged.

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Dr. Frank Anthony, drug abuse, Illicit Trafficking, Youth substance abuse

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