Thousands addicted to marijuana: Group

 By ELIAS LARI 

ABOUT 8376 people in Dei, Western Highlands, are addicted to marijuana, a group campaigning against the cultivation and use of the illegal plant has revealed.

Of that, 1820 are adult women, 3470 are of school-aged, while 3077 are men, most of them married.

These figures were collected from 15 areas in the 52 council wards in both Kotna and Muglamp LLGs in Dei electorate.

Dei Youth Stopim Drug (DYSD), one of the registered groups doing voluntary work to get rid of marijuana, compiled using information they gathered from interviews.

Among the drug users, a young man (named) was sent to Laloki Psychiatric Hospital outside Port Moresby and he is slowly recovering, while another (also named) is said to have completely lost his senses.  

A 17-year-old doing Grade 8 is now locked at the Mt Hagen police station awaiting arrangements to be sent to Laloki. In January this year, 11 youths were arrested by police and later released on conditions.

DYSD chairman Andrew Konts confirmed the figures last Saturday, describing the situation in the district as a “very big problem”.

He said the organisation needed funding and resources to conduct more awareness and help these people get away from the vice.

Konts said the reported cases were people that have come forward, but there could be more hiding.

According to the investigations, the highest percentage of these reported drug users was of students who are in Grades 8 to 12.

“Our plan now is to save these people and we need to spread more awareness and carry out campaigns,” he said. Konts said the purpose of forming DYSD was to do awareness, educate people not to plant, consume and sell marijuana. 

The awareness is also aimed at educating people not to discriminate against drug addicts and to report to all drug-related issues to.  

This is to make sure the electorate is free from doing anything with marijuana, Konts aid.