Investigations have indicated that students found with marijuana in schools often have prior experience with suki (a local term for a type of tobacco) or cigarettes, suggesting that marijuana is frequently their third substance of choice.
Josua Naisele, the acting director of the National Substance Abuse Advisory Council, addressed this developing trend during his speech at the Arya Pratinidhi Sabha of Fiji Women’s Conference in Lautoka on Saturday. He noted that children seem to transition from legal smoking products to illegal drugs like marijuana.
“When we counsel students who have been found with marijuana, they commonly report starting with suki and then moving on to cigarettes,” Mr. Naisele explained. “Marijuana typically represents their third step in this progression.”
He urged parents to closely monitor their children’s exposure to substances like cigarettes and suki, cautioning that an early introduction might lead them to experiment with illegal drugs such as marijuana.
Mr. Naisele emphasized that the marijuana market seems to be targeting young people. He remarked on a concerning trend where younger individuals are increasingly exhibiting forgetfulness, a condition previously associated with older generations. The use of drugs like marijuana can exacerbate brain cell damage, which is linked to many of these young individuals ending up receiving treatment at St. Giles Hospital.