Earlier on we told you about the prevalence of cigarette use among young people. And while that is worrying, the usage of marijuana is even more so. A survey of upper primary and secondary school students done in 2003 showed that 75% of them were using alcohol regularly, and 20.3% of them were daily users of marijuana. And while the usage is alarming, so is the ignorance: less than 8% of them had any drug knowledge.
Those figures gave impetus to Red Ribbon - drug prevention week at high schools. Last week it was Excelsior and today Wesley's school's six hundred and eighty three students marched through the city's street with banners - shouting for a Drug Free Belize.
It's an initiative that the school started back in 1999 and 12 years later - it is still going strong:….
Elizabeth Goff, Wesley School Counselor
"Red Ribbon is actually drug prevention, promoting and celebrating drug free youth and it's a time when our school gets together, it's a time when we all come together and we are united in this fight against alcohol and other drugs. We are saying publicly Wesley wants to be a drug free school we want drug free youth. Of course we know drug prevention isn't just this week but this is important, we get excited, there are special activities but the choices about alcohol and other drug continue throughout the year. We hope that the messages that our students would learn this week would help them when they are face with the influences and those situations of negative peer pressure. We hope that this week they are revive, they are encourage and they are able to find that courage to say no to drugs. We started on Monday, our week was open by Mr. William Neal from Channel 5 Open Your Eyes and he gave a very powerful message to the students and so we've been very excited and hype all week. Today is a lot of excitement, tomorrow is our parents evening, we cannot do drug prevention without involving our parents and so we have a time to share with parents as well. Friday is roast and toast and that's a time when students come, fun fellowship and they roast marsh mellow and hotdog sausages and there is special for Friday also."
The theme for this year Red Ribbon Week is -one voice, one choice - be drug free.
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