The Ministry of Education has classified kava as a legal drug.
This is contained in the Ministry’s Education Policy in Drugs and Substance Abuse
This policy was adopted by the Ministry recently.
The purpose of this policy is to provide a framework for the prevention, intervention and elimination of the use of illegal drugs and abuse of legal drugs in schools.
The policy states the Ministry of Education does not permit the possession, consumption, promotion, distribution, or sale of all harmful drugs and the abuse of legal drugs such as kava, adding the following won’t be tolerated in any official function held in or out of the school environment, the drugs being Marijuana and other illicit drugs such as: Cocaine, Heroine & other hard drugs, Tobacco, Alcohol and Inhalants.
The Ministry said this policy was formulated because of the increasing problem of drugs and substance abuse in schools which is of a national concern due to the health, social and economic costs to the people.
The policy states the number of young people sent out from schools with drugs and alcohol related cases as well as those caught by police and those treated at St Giles Hospital are increasing every year and early intervention is needed.
The policy says drugs and alcohol abuse is directly connected to the prevalence of many sexually transmitted infections and HIV and AIDS of which young people are the most vulnerable.
The policy says Secondary and primary school students are at risk and we can no longer deny that drugs and substances abuse is becoming a problem amongst our young people, adding Researches conducted in schools in 2004, 2005 and 2010 indicate the extent of the problem and that the findings revealed that students were experimenting at a very young age.
The Ministry’s policy says the effects of drugs and substance abuse is evident in the increase in social problems such as crime, high school drop out rate, family break ups, accidents, high incidences of sexually transmitted infections, long term detrimental health effects and death.
If any student is caught, the policy says:
Refer the student to a Counselor/Child Protection Officer or an entrusted Religious leader for counselling first then the student will be referred to the Principal, Vice Principal, Head Teacher or Assistant Head Teacher who will report the incident to the District Education Office.
The Education Office is responsible to contact the local police who will be responsible for the testing of the drugs by the government analyst.