Drug, homebrew use ‘on the rise’

By MARJORIE FINKEO
STATISTICS show that 50 to 60 per cent of high school students drink homebrew and that the sale of marijuana is increasing out of control in Jiwaka, police say.
Provincial police commander Inspector Horim Pimia said the use of illegal drug had increased over the years and police were finding it hard to control because leaders failed to work with them.
Pisima said the students involved included males and females from Fatima and Minj secondary schools. He said currently it was difficult to fight such activities because leaders in the communities failed “to report matters to us every day, especially about young generation being out of control”.
“Homebrew consumption is a trend in the province now,” Pisima said . “In 2014, a community awareness was conducted and it focused on such illegal activities in the communities, where law and orders were to fit into the province but it has gone worse now.”
He said seeing the change over time compared with the past, when people in the community drank factory-made beer only and not homebrew.
“It is also blamed for students’ poor academic performance
in the province and something to consider about their health,” Pisima said.