PHILIPSBURG--Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs said during Wednesday’s press briefing that it had been brought to her attention that there has been a rise in the spread of edible drugs amongst school-age children. “I believe that as a country it is our responsibility to bring awareness on things that may be a danger to our youth,” Jacobs said.
She said the ministries had been having disaster management training sessions at Sonesta Maho Beach Resort since Monday. One of the aspects of these trainings was safety and security for St. Maarten youth.
“I would like inform parents that all manner of drugs can be harmful to your children. As parents you cannot totally protect them, but you can arm them with information,” Jacobs said. “Please have long sit-down talks as often as possible with your children, teenagers, even young adults, on the dangers of the use of drugs, especially those that are packaged in cute edible lollipops, sweets, cake and other things that are attractive to the youth.”
She warned the youth to not accept sweets or cakes, as she said, “This is the newest form of transferring a negative lifestyle onto our youth.”
“As parents it is our duty to protect our children and not shy away from difficult discussions. I would like to commend the schools that are actually actively informing parents about some of the dangers out there and promoting ways to be able to mitigate the negative effects of drugs in our society,” Jacobs said.
The Foundation for Secondary Education (“Stichting Voortgezet Onderwijs van de Bovenwindse Eilanden (SVOBE)”) management issued a letter to parents on December 3 in which the school said there has been an increase in drug use on the island.
“The latest trend is the use of ‘edibles’, foods that are mixed with marijuana and other drugs (gummies, brownies, lollipops etc.). The SVOBE schools will work in conjunction with Turning Point and the police to promote awareness about the risks of substance abuse. Our mission is to ensure that our schools remain a safe environment that promotes healthy development,” the letter said.
