Why do so many young Maldivians start taking drugs?
Many say that young people start taking drugs at a very early age because they are so prevalent and easy to access everywhere in the Maldives.
There is also lack of awareness on what will happen if you start taking drugs so many young people get into drugs without knowing what the horrors of being an addict are. This suggests that more emphasis must be placed on awareness campaigns through schools and among the community overall.
Boredom also seems to play a huge role in why young people turn to drugs. There is a lack of opportunities for where young people can express themselves and a lack of places for where they can occupy their time. It seems then that there is a real need for more sporting facilities, cinemas, clubs, music lessons etc across the country.
Why do you think young people turn to drugs in the Maldives? How can the number tempted to experiment be reduced? And, who should be responsible for confronting the issue to get a real reduction in drug use?
Photo: 'Losing Cultures' by Ibrahim Iujaz Hafiz.
57 comments:
there are many factors that leads young people into drugs. to name some;-
1. easy availability
2. environment
3. peers (friends)
In the Maldives, especially Male' is the most easiest place on the surface of earth for anyone to get drugs. Combined with the congested living style comes the negative peer influence because of that I would argue more than 50% of this countries can be counted as vulnerable.
To overcome this problem all we need is strong leadership, political commitment and evidence based prevention and intervention programs.
ADAM
1. No action taken by the government at the early stage
2. Government denied the existance of the problem to portray a nice picture to the international community
3. High level government officials were engaged in drug use and drug trafficing.
4. Not enough activities and opportunities for the youth
5. Not enough parental guidance and support
6. Drug users were criminalised and tortured to the extent of losing their dignity
police commiser adam zahir.
maumoon abdul gayoom.
if you remove both drugs will disapper like dust.
period
why beat around the bush when you know the real reason. maldivians earlier lived a very simple life have nothing to do excetp go swim in the sea or climb a coconut tree. but there are no drug uses out of bordem becase its not there. even current generation out of bordem wont have a option to turn to drugs if it is not there. but they may turn to politics and make trouble for governmetn. thats why maumoon personally keeps adam zahir so that drug supply to malidves remain intact. and children can buy it like they bugy supari and sweets from the nearby shop. it also gives something to worry to people other than politics. so its a win win sitation to maumoon and adam zahir the lords of drugs in the maldives and lose lose siutaion to the ppl and the country.
it is a known fact that various corrupt senior officials are involved indirectly and directly in the process of drug trafficking and dealing in the maldives.the target is the youth population is as believed, and when you look at it from a wider perspective, it is the most addictive and dangerous drugs that are available to the youth.heroin has been circulating for sometime in the form of brown sugar which is actually an impurity during the purification of heroin.heroin is known to be the drug that has the highest dependency rates around the world.there have been recent attempts in introduction of 'ice' or crystal methamphetamine in mixtures of brown sugar.it is also potentially as lethal as heroin is,crystal meth has the highest addiction rates in the USA.in recent findings it is a known factor in spreading AIDS due to re-use of infected needles,homosexuality etc.another commonly used drug is hash-oil which is a derivative of cannabis.majority of the youth population are known to abuse and misuse drugs according to statistical facts.more than 88% of the users are heroin addicts.With crystal meth in circulation, the situation could only get worse.main reasons of abuse are stress, unemployment, and as stated in some other comments, availability, peer pressure and psychological well-being of the youth.
One other major concern is bad parenting. Sure the government, society and peers add to the list of causes but let's not forget here that a large number of children from broken homes and families are also those falling prey for drugs. It's an apidemic in the Maldives now. We have got to take better care of our children and not let them loose on the streets at the age of 2. Children need protection, sheltor and guidance, none of which, is present at an alarmingly large number of families. So it's social awareness, political awareness AND good parenting that we need, to beat this problem.
Research has shown in other countries, smoking, early sexual experimentation in other words risky behaviour is associated with family unit. In Maldives, if you really come to think about it, all kids have blended families, parents don't consider their kids right when they find other partners. So this is an issue which is not talked about. A lot of social problems emanate from irresponsible parents. It is so sad to see that people eye on the young people when they resort to drugs for their comfort. I agree issues noted by others are a concern too.
well, tats a good question. why do young Maldivians turn to drugs?
i beleive the main reason is the change in value system of young maldivians and ourselves. if you have not been into drugs, ask yourself why u didnt? is it becoz u didnt face boredom? is it bcoz you were busy with sports or other activities? or was it that you cudnt access drugs easily? is it tat you didnt have friends or peers who were using drugs? didnt you have conflicts within your family memebers? so why didnt you turn into drugs?
wen i look back to myself - yes, i did face boredom, i never played any sports (though i wished i cud), i had easy access to drugs (just a footstep off from home), n yea, i did hav friends who were using and even offering drugs. ofcoz, like in almost all the families i had tough times dealing with family conflicts n issues such as divorce, financial crisis, family violence, everything tat u can name....im still young, i was even younger..so why didnt i go into drugs? wat im trying to tell you is tat our behaviours come from our value systems. its how we value the morals - the rights n wrongs. most of our morals come from our religion, also from our life experiences. these rights and wrongs are taught by our parents, guardian or the carer. how someone value these morals depend on the particular individual as well. in my value system, abusing drugs is forbidden, degrading and really bad in every single way. as mentioned above, these morals came from my religion and life exepriences (whats been seen n learned) n taught by my parents n at school. so im saying is tat, valuing these beliefs of morals as been taught kept me away from drugs. i relate this as part of wat u call 'awareness' about drugs - but a different approach which ofcoz was very effective for me. not to mention that this was wats been taught to our old generation which was 100% drug free.
i belive the present generation in the maldives is more busy with politics, finance (work), general education, and other needs of life, while leaving / forgetting / neglecting to mentor the basics of life to one’s own child. so why wudnt the young maldivians turn to drugs like every other young person in the world.
I have to agree with anonynous who commemnted at 15 March 2008 06:15. I do get bored sometimes. I don't go and play sports all the time and my family does have problems. I have friends who use drugs and I have friends who even offered me some drugs. But I never touched it. It all comes down to my religious beliefs. I know it is prohibited in my religion to use drugs and get intoxicated. so that was the main reason I never touched it.
I think we need to teach our kids the values of our beautiful religion. The kids these days don't have faith and the western culture is too darn 'cool' for them.
I think one of the reasons why youth go for drugs is that they have too much time on their hands thats not used well. In many countries ages 17-25 is a cricial time youth are in University studying and finding out who they are. They have opportunities to experiment and have their thoughts expressed. In MAldives most of these youth find themselves out of school and little to do unless they go for a job. the 17-25 age gap may not be the time they want to work in a regular job or want to take up job responsibilities with much older adults. I think the country needs Universities where the youth can express themselves and get ready for adult life while studying
I think it is lack of awareness coupled with the overall negativity in the country. The people feel duped after this regime has been neglecting the issue for so long. Initially, the government outrightly rejected even registering there was an issue to be concerned. This went on for more than a decade, when users of even alcohol and marijuana (less harmful drugs to what is available on the streets of Male now - Heroin, etc.)were sentenced for long periods of banishment into the atolls. Some see this as a main reason why the problem spread to the atolls. However, the growth of the problem into epidemic levels (an NCB official quoted the number of active users at 10,000 on TVM news on 15 March 2008, and last week a UN report estimated that at least 2 million Maldivian Ruffiya worth of drugs are sold throughout the country in a given day), in less than 20 years leaves serious questions as to the effectiveness of any policies implemented by the government so far.
Good question: first there is liberal supply of drugs, courtesy of collusion by the government with drug traffickers. Then there is poor parenting. Then there is despair, hopelessness and boredom. Then there is escapism and poor leaders.
so i guess the entire package is here now. Its now ripe for some kind of invasion by an alien army... they can promise us mars and take over and get rid of the bad leaders. We will all be wearing space suits then...
The previous comment was deleted as OSA does not welcome swearing on this blog.
Many thanks for all of these contributions. Powerful insights, keep them coming...
A professional I spoke to told me that the reasons for young people to turn to drugs are two fold: excessive time and money.
I feel that the reason for the escalation of the opportunity for young people to experiment with this phenomena is also two fold: availability of abusive substances without any restrictions and the lack of capacity within the government to deal with the drug dealers.
Hopelessness, lack of future, lack of options.
Boredom, with lots of money.
No examples of what else they can do with their lives.
Until very recently, Maldivians have had no options in their government. they will not in any near future have any options for choice of religious thought. Only those who are connected can become wealthy. If your life has no hope, no reason to live, no purpose, no way to achieve personal success, no examples of how to live, it is easy to want to be numb of the reality of living.
Added to this is the worldwide youth idea of entitlement, that one needn't work for success, it should just be handed to you, combined with the idea that every one else in the world is fairing so much better, what else can one expect from the Maldivian youth? If I had these views, I too would be engaged int accessing artificial bliss.
I am former resident of Maldives of three years. I was a recreational drug user myself in my early adult years. I have been converted to a life of better living, having hope in life, the future and myself.
Once again, thank you for your insightful and concerned comments.
To read and understand more about this pressing issue of drug use by young Maldivians I encourage you to visit the 'Wake Up' campaign website: www.wakeup.mv.
The Wake Up site is an interactive and extremely valuable resource which provides statistics, information and advice about preventing drug abuse and promoting recovery from drug addiction.
Take a look and encourage others to wake up: www.wakeup.mv.
well v can blame our shitty government for one thing...
but than again v choose our life...
when ppl say that there's nothing for the young to do... there's no entertainment... there's no job opportunities...they are just opening their mouth and yacking...
well look at the number of foreigners working on our country...
every where u look it's either a bangalhi or a sri lankan or an indian, or philipino or some other national working in our country...
well the problem is with the way our society thinks...
most ppl think that it's beyond u to even go and throw away ur own garbage... let alone another maldivian won't even think of getting a job like that.. so it's time to bring some one from one of the neighboring countries to throw your garbage away and pay them a good heft of your hard earned wage..
look at the building industry... on top of every building that's under construction u see a couple of dozen foreigners... why... cause our youngsters think that it's way beyond them to do that kinda work... after all ur parents are there to feed u and put a roof over ur head, even though they have to go to several jobs to afford all that...
even though most young ppl don't earn a penny to save thier ass they still have got the latest mobile phone or wave to go by...
it's every one to blame...one person could not have moulded our society the way it has turned out... and it's gonna take more than one web page and a lot of hard work to change that..
also the most important thing is to want to change.... as long as u don't want to change, noone can do anything about it... u can yack all you want but u'll be yacking to a deaf ear...
id love to see the day where our young ppl stand up to themselves and be proud to say that i earned it with my own hard work... although i may have to live a couple of decades to see... hehehe
airhead
no discipline, too much money, too much power to the youth, no humility, too much pride and no moral constraint, Maumoon's idiotic humanistic Islam which promotes no smacking of children, overcrowding, fear, frustration, anger, existential emptiness, no social freedom, society which promotes power (Be'Fulhism and its modern equivalent - political power) and crushes compassion and spiritual prestige (poor are first in Jannah in Islam but last to be respected in Maldives so no-one has any values, compassion and all just want to be rich and feared!) sorrow, frustration, jealousy, people take pride for wealth of material status and prestige rather than wealth of character....
Just to add a few small thoughts i would go on forever but...you get the point...
Your blog is outrageous! I mean, Ive never been so entertained by anything in my life! Your vids are perfect for this. I mean, how did you manage to find something that matches your style of writing so well? Im really happy I started reading this today. Youve got a follower in me for sure!
I am thoroughly convinced in this said post. I am currently searching for ways in which I could enhance my knowledge in this said topic you have posted here. It does help me a lot knowing that you have shared this information here freely. I love the way the people here interact and shared their opinions too. I would love to track your future posts pertaining to the said topic we are able to read.
cheapest viagra viagra online scams - viagra order review
viagra for sale buy viagra online mumbai - viagra buy calgary
soma without prescription somatropin to buy in usa - buy real somatropin
buy cheap soma soma san diego layout - generic soma description
order tramadol no prescription buy tramadol in usa no prescription - buy tramadol 50mg
Hi, generic zyban - zyban online http://www.wellbutrinonlinesale.net/#zyban-online , [url=http://www.wellbutrinonlinesale.net/#order-zyban ]order zyban [/url]
Hillsborough Family Medicine order cipro online no prescription - cipro online pharmacy http://www.cheapcipromed.net/#cipro-online-pharmacy , [url=http://www.cheapcipromed.net/#cost-of-ciprofloxacin ]cost of ciprofloxacin [/url]
Homiopathic Drugs finasteride sale - purchase finasteride online http://www.propeciahowtosave.net/#purchase-finasteride-online , [url=http://www.propeciahowtosave.net/#propecia-sale ]propecia sale [/url]
cheap generic cialis cialis online 24 ore - buy original cialis online
Blogger: Power to the People - Post a Comment celebrex without prescription - celebrex online no prescription http://www.celebrexgenericsale.net/#celebrex-online-no-prescription , [url=http://www.celebrexgenericsale.net/#generic-for-celebrex ]generic for celebrex [/url]
Hello, cheap imitrex - buy sumatriptan online no prescription http://www.buyimitrex365.com/#buy-sumatriptan-online-no-prescription , [url=http://www.buyimitrex365.com/#buy-imitrex-no-prescription ]buy imitrex no prescription [/url]
xanax anxiety xanax . 25 mg side effects - xanax withdrawal vomiting
carisoprodol 350 mg carisoprodol (soma) abuse potential and physician awareness - carisoprodol 350 mg and hydrocodone
where to buy xanax online no prescription drug interactions xanax vicodin - xanax 4 bars
order tramadol overnight tramadol 50 mg dosing - side effects of tramadol 50mg tablets
3 discount cymbalta - generic cymbalta no prescription http://www.cymbaltaonlinerx.net/#discount-cymbalta, discount cymbalta
buy cialis professional cialis vs viagra buy online - generic cialis online tadalafil
3, provigil without prescription - provigil without prescription http://www.provigilonlinediscount.com/#provigil-no-rx, [url=http://www.provigilonlinediscount.com/#provigil-online-order]provigil no prescription[/url]
cialis online order cialis online prescription - buy brand cialis online us
20000 :) Cheap Azithromycin - azithromycin for sale http://www.zithromaxhowtobuy.net/#generic-azithromycin, [url=http://www.zithromaxhowtobuy.net/#cheap-azithromycin]Azithromycin No Prescription[/url]
20000 :) Cheap Azithromycin - azithromycin price http://www.zithromaxhowtobuy.net/#buy-azithromycin, [url=http://www.zithromaxhowtobuy.net/#order-zithromax]Order Zithromax[/url]
buy klonopin online klonopin withdrawal nausea - gi side effects klonopin
07 Imitrex Online - sumatriptan without rx http://www.cheapimitrexbuy.net/#imitrex-online, [url=http://www.cheapimitrexbuy.net/#imitrex-price]Imitrex Online[/url]
07 wellbutrin online - zyban stop smoking http://www.wellbutrinforsaleonline.net/#buy-bupropion, [url=http://www.wellbutrinforsaleonline.net/#buy-bupropion]zyban sale[/url]
buy klonopin online klonopin side effects children - bad take 2mg klonopin
http://landvoicelearning.com/#44827 buy tramadol online overnight delivery - buy tramadol online for dogs
klonopin pharmacy klonopin prn for anxiety - what is klonopin high
2, propecia cost - finasteride without prescription http://www.propeciasaleonline.net/#finasteride-online, [url=http://www.propeciasaleonline.net/#propecia-cost]propecia cost[/url]
clonazepam no prescription klonopin 30 mg - generic klonopin online
carisoprodol 350 mg soma carisoprodol erowid - carisoprodol 350 mg high
I'm amazed, I must say. Rarely do I come across a blog that's both educative and entertaining, and without a doubt, you have hit the nail on
the head. The issue is an issue that not enough people are
speaking intelligently about. I am very happy I stumbled across this in
my search for something concerning this.
Also visit my web-site: party pills cheap
Hеllo mates, fаstidiouѕ paragraph and fastidious urging сοmmented here, Ӏ аm reallу
enjοуing by theѕe.
my sitе - cheap party pills
Tramadol is considered so weak that in many countries it is not considered prescription but it is a prescription drug--you can get it next to Tylenol on the shelf.
Тrаmаdоl Detox
A good therapeutic drug and alcohol rehabilitation program always assists individuals get off the treatment merry-go-round and find long-term wellness and recovery.
Drug rehab Indianapolis
Post a Comment