Drug testing of Bajan schoolchildren floated

(Barbados Nation) Compulsory drug testing of schoolchildren in this country has come up for discussion by stakeholders including the National Council on Substance Abuse (NCSA).

NCSA director Yolande Forde told the DAILY NATION that the idea was mooted at the recent national consultation on an Anti-Drug Plan that involved representatives from agencies such as the Barbados Association of Principals of Public Secondary Schools (BAPPSS), the University of the West Indies (UWI), the Samuel Jackman Prescod Polytechnic and Erdiston Teachers’ Training College.

And drug testing in the schools has the support of the National Committee for the Prevention of Alcoholism and Drug Dependency (NCPADD). Its president, Victor Roach, fully supports any plan to identify children who display symptoms of marijuana use and test them.