Ganja video students suspended

SIX female students of Diego Martin North Secondary school who were shown smoking what appeared to marijuana, in a video posted to social media, while in school uniform, have been suspended for seven days.

During a news conference yesterday at the Education Ministry head office on St Vincent Street, Port of Spain, Education Minister Anthony Garcia said he was disappointed in the girls' actions. He also said he was disturbed by the level of violence among the nation's school girls.

Manager of the Student Support Services Prof Dennis Conrad said it was a challenge to always stay on top of things. He said there was also a new drug that children were now experimenting with called "Molly."

Methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA) is a synthetic drug that alters mood and perception (awareness of surrounding objects and conditions). It is chemically similar to both stimulants and hallucinogens, producing feelings of increased energy, pleasure, emotional warmth, and distorted sensory and time perception.

MDMA was initially popular in the nightclub scene and at all-night dance parties ("raves"), but the drug now affects a broader range of people who more commonly call the drug Ecstasy or Molly. Conrad said educating young people about drug use was most important in breaking the cycle.