CICAD Secretariat for Multidimensional Security …

1 Comparative Analysis of Student drug Usein caribbean CountriesAntigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago and SurinameA Report on Student drug Use in 12 caribbean Countries2010 CICADI nter-American drug Abuse Control CommissionSecretariat for Multidimensional SecurityComparative Analysis of Student drug Use in caribbean Countries75061 OAS 16/29/11 2:56 PM ii OAS Catalogue-in Publication Data Comparative analysis of student drug use in caribbean Countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and Suriname.

2 A Report on Student drug use in 12 caribbean Countries ISBN 978-0-8270-5633-6 iii Contents Acknowledgements viii Prologue x Chapter 1 Introduction & Background 1 Chapter 2 Methodology 4 Chapter 3 Results 8 Description of Sample 8 Alcohol 11 Cigarettes 21 Non-Medical Use of Prescription Medications (Tranquilizers and Stimulants) 28 Inhalants 30 Marijuana 39 Other Illicit Drugs (Cocaine, Crack, and Ecstasy) 53 Drugs Offered to Students 56 Availability of Drugs 57 Perception of Harmfulness 59 Cigarette Use versus Marijuana Use 63 Chapter 4 Discussion and Implications for Policy 65 Appendixes 69 Appendix A Most Indicated Risk Factors for Each Country 70 Appendix B SIDUC School Survey Methodology 72 Appendix C SIDUC School Survey Questionnaire 80 References 88 iv List of Tables TABLE 1: Sample Sizes and Distribution of Students by Gender TABLE 2: Distribution of Sample by Age Group TABLE 3: Prevalence of Alcohol Use TABLE 4: Alcohol Prevalence by Gender TABLE 5.

3 Past Year Alcohol Prevalence by Age Group TABLE 6: Past Month Alcohol Prevalence by Age Group TABLE 7: Past Year and Past Month Alcohol Incidence TABLE 8: Average Age of First Use of Alcohol by Gender TABLE 9: Alcohol Use and Behavioral Problems Table 10: Prevalence of Binge Drinking by Country TABLE 11: Prevalence of Cigarette Use TABLE 12: Cigarette Prevalence by Gender TABLE 13: Past Year and Past Month Cigarette Prevalence by Age Group TABLE 14: Past Year and Past Month Cigarette Incidence TABLE 15: Average Age of First Use of Cigarettes by Gender TABLE 16: Past Year and Past Month Prevalence of Cigarette Use by Behavioral Problems TABLE 17: Lifetime, Past Year and Past Month Prevalence of Stimulants and Tranquilizers TABLE 18: Prevalence of Inhalant Use TABLE 19: Inhalants Prevalence by Gender TABLE 20: Past Year and Past Month Inhalant Prevalence by Age Group TABLE 21: Past Year and Past Month Inhalant Incidence TABLE 22: Average Age of First Use of Inhalants by Gender TABLE 23: Past Year and Past Month Prevalence of Inhalant Use by Behavioral Problems TABLE 24: Inhalants Prevalence by Number of Repeated School Years TABLE 25: Prevalence of Marijuana Use TABLE 26: Marijuana Prevalence by Gender TABLE 27: Past Year and Past Month Marijuana Prevalence by Age Group TABLE 28.

4 Past Year and Past Month Marijuana Incidence TABLE 29: Average Age of First Use of Marijuana by Gender TABLE 30a: Lifetime Prevalence of Marijuana Use by Behavioral Problems TABLE 30b: Past Year and Past Month Prevalence of Marijuana Use by Behavioral Problems TABLE 31: Marijuana Prevalence by Number of Repeated School Years TABLE 32: Access to Marijuana TABLE 33: Past Year Prevalence of Marijuana Use by Ease of Access v TABLE 34: Prevalence of Other Illicit Drugs by Gender TABLE 35: Drugs Offered to Students TABLE 36: Perception of Availability of Cocaine TABLE 37: Perception of Availability of Ecstasy TABLE 38: Perception of Availability of Crack Cocaine TABLE 39: Students Perception of Harmfulness (for All Countries) TABLE 40: Perception of Harmfulness TABLE 41: Perception of Harmfulness of Solvents and Marijuana TABLE 42: Perception of Harmfulness of Cocaine or Crack and Ecstasy TABLE 43: Cigarette Use versus Marijuana Use vi List of Figures Figure 1: Distribution of Sample by Gender Figure 2: Distribution of Sample by Age Group Figure 3: Past Year Prevalence of Alcohol by Gender Figure 4: Past Year Alcohol Prevalence by Age Group Figure 5: Past Year Incidence of Alcohol Use Figure 6: Average Age of First Use of Alcohol by Gender Figure 7.

5 Past Year Prevalence of Alcohol Use by Behavioral Problems Figure 8: Past Year Prevalence of Cigarette Use by Age Group Figure 9: Average Age of First Use of Cigarettes by Gender Figure 10: Past Year Prevalence of Cigarette Use by Behavioral Problems Figure 11: Prevalence of the Use of Tranquilizers Figure 12: Prevalence of the Use of Stimulants Figure 13: Prevalence of Inhalant Use Figure 14: Lifetime Prevalence of Inhalants by Gender Figure 15: Past Month Prevalence of Inhalant Use by Gender Figure 16: Past Year Prevalence of Inhalant Use by Age Group Figure 17: Last Year Incidence of Inhalant Use Figure 18: Average Age of First Use of Inhalants by Gender Figure 19: Past Year Prevalence of Inhalant Use by Number of Behavioral Problems Figure 20: Lifetime Prevalence of Inhalant Use by Number of Repeated School Years Figure 21: Past Year Prevalence of Marijuana Use by Gender Figure 22: Past Year Prevalence of Marijuana Use by Age Group Figure 23: Past Month Prevalence of Marijuana Use by Age Group Figure 24: Past Year Prevalence of Marijuana Use for Students 14 Years Old and Younger Figure 25: Past Year Prevalence of Marijuana Use for Students 17 Years Old and Older Figure 26: Average Age of First Use of Marijuana by Gender Figure 27.

6 Lifetime Prevalence of Marijuana Use by Behavioral Problems Figure 28: Lifetime Prevalence of Marijuana Use by Number of Repeated School Years Figure 29: Ease of Obtaining Marijuana Figure 30: Past Year Prevalence of Marijuana Use by Ease of Obtaining it. Figure 31: Easy Access versus Past Year Prevalence Figure 32: Lifetime and Past Year Prevalence of Cocaine Use Figure 33: Lifetime and Past Year Prevalence of Crack Cocaine Use vii Figure 34: Lifetime Prevalence of Ecstasy Figure 35: Lifetime Prevalence of Cigarette Use vs. Marijuana Use Figure 36: Past Year Prevalence of Cigarette Use vs. Marijuana Use Figure 37: Past Month Prevalence of Cigarette Use vs. Marijuana Use viii Acknowledgements A publication of this nature and the accompanying studies that underpin it would not have been possible without the necessary financial resources that are required to sustain these activities.

7 This project was made possible by a grant from the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) of the US Department of State. This report is the culmination of twelve separate studies in twelve countries. Each country had its own coordinator and team of interviewers with whom CICAD worked. In addition, a small group of persons were responsible for data entry in each country and for sending clean datasets to CICAD for the data processing and analysis. Before any activities took place in the individual countries permission had to be sought and received from school authorities in ministries of education and they were consulted for school enrollment data and other information so that a representative sample of students could be taken and the fieldwork logistics could be determined.

8 In most cases all or most of this work was facilitated by local drug commissions or their equivalent. Several persons contributed to the data analysis, the drafting and review of this report and its eventual publication. As such, the persons who would have contributed in some way to this project are too numerous to mention here, but they can be assured that this report could not have been done had it not been for their support. CICAD appreciates the contributions and the support of drug commissions in Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and Suriname. Antigua and Barbuda: Clarence Pilgrim, Chairman, National drug Council (NDC), Ministry of Housing, Culture & Social Transformation, Norma Jeffrey-Dorsett, Substance Abuse Prevention Officer: Substance Abuse Prevention Division, Ministry Social Transformation.

9 Barbados: Tessa Chaderton-Shaw, Manager, and Jonathan Yearwood, Research and Information Officer, National Council on Substance Abuse (NCSA), Ministry of Home Affairs. Dominica: Jacinta Bannis, Director, and Martha Jarvis Research Officer, National drug Prevention Unit (NDPU), Ministry of Health. ix Grenada: Dave Alexander, Officer in Charge, Arthur Pierre, drug Control Officer, Terrance Walters, drug Control Officer, drug Control Secretariat , Ministry of Education. Guyana: Angela Johnson, Permanent Secretary, and Joseph Quamina, Head of Security , Ministry of Home Affairs. Shradhanand Hariprashad, Research Officer, Ministry of Health. Haiti: Mr. Ren Magloire, Minister of Justice & Public Safety, France Garilus, Director, Haitian Observatory on Drugs, Commission Nationale de Lutte contre la Drogue (CONALD).

10 Jamaica: Michael Tucker, Director, and Ellen Grizzle, Director of Information and Research, National Council on drug Abuse (NCDA), Ministry of Health. St. Kitts and Nevis: Eileen Maclachlan Moore, Director, Paula Hazel, Executive Officer, National Council on drug Abuse Prevention (NACDAP ), Carolyn Brownbill, Counselors (and supervisor for school survey) Ministry of National Security . St. Lucia: Elizabeth Serieux-Wilson, Coordinator, Substance abuse Advisory Council Secretariat (SAACS), Ministry of Health. St. Vincent and the Grenadines: Lanceford Weeks, Permanent Secretary, and Amrie Morris, Psychologist, Ministry of Health and the Environment. Suriname: Manodj Hindori, Chairman, National Anti drug Council (NAR), Marie Bunwaree, Director, and Krisnadath Rambali, Policy Officer, drug Demand Reduction Office, NAR, Ministry of Health.