It seems every year drug dealers always manage to find a new way of attracting unsuspecting victims and hooking them up with drugs.
Last week I received an email from a friend who is also a parent, with a picture of what seemed liked those jelly-like strawberry sweets. As I read her message, it occurred to me that was not just candy but candy laced with drugs.
This is not the first time this has happened. Every year it seems there is a news drug on the market that is sold to unsuspecting school children.
Please do not be fooled into thinking that this is only happening in high schools, because last week it was reported that a pink drug concealed in what looked like a candy straw was being sold at primary schools in Gauteng.
According to a statement released last week by the Anti Drug Alliance SA (ADASA), a pink drug concealed in what looks like a candy straw has been sold to underage children at a number of private schools in the greater Johannesburg area.
“At this stage we are working day and night in alliance with a number of sources to establish which schools have been targeted,” said Adasa.
I decided to write this column because as a parent, reading reports like these send chills down my spine because any child can fall victim to this. The drug issue cannot be left only to government to deal with it because these drug dealers live among us and we cannot point fingers all the time and not do anything.
I think parents, teachers and the government need to work hand-in-hand to ensure it is not easy for these drugs to end up in our schools. Maybe government should ensure that schools are stricter and do not allowing people to camp outside the schools selling snacks to the pupils.
There should be proper systems in place to ensure that whatever the pupils buy is only bought from the school tuck-shop.
Anyone seen outside the school premises selling to the pupils should be dealt with accordingly. Parents also need to talk to their children and warn them not to buy anything that is sold outside the school premises and to make them aware of the dangers of doing so.
I understand the vendors need to sell in order to put food on the table for their families, but they need to buy their stock from reliable suppliers and be careful not to buy from anyone who comes selling to them no matter how cheap the stock is.
Another option would be for parents to stop giving children money when they go to school. Always make sure they have healthy, packed lunches and snacks – that way your children will have no need to buy snacks at school.
