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 The scale of this problem is enormous. What we have to do is capture children before they start experimenting and sink into chronic addiction 

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"Last week a Grade 9 class teacher at a school on the South Peninsula noticed signs of substance abuse among pupils. As a result 15 pupils were tested for substance abuse at the end of July," Zille said yesterday.

"All 15 tested positive.

"But this number increased to more than 40 when pupils, who after realising they could also be tested, voluntarily admitted to using drugs."

This was the first mass testing to take place in a school in the province.

The outcome was that close to 50 percent of the grade, all around 14 years of age, were using drugs.

"It is clear from this case that we urgently need to step up intervention and treatment programmes that target young people," Zille said.

She said the provincial education department would send a letter to every principal in the province this week to provide guidelines on how to implement drug testing at schools.

"About 80 percent of crime in the Western Cape is linked to drugs," Zille said.

"The scale of this problem is enormous. What we have to do is capture children before they start experimenting and sink into chronic addiction."

Key to "turning off" the drug supply tap was for pupils to know they were going to be tested regularly.

"It has been found that if young people know they are going to be tested regularly, they will be less likely to start using drugs."

In many cases, she said, children were self-medicating on drugs to deal with a crisis in their lives.

Western Cape coastal communities were specifically at risk as drugs were closely linked to the illegal abalone trade.

Dealers had been found to be setting up tik factories in places where the abalone was being swapped for drugs.

Robert MacDonald, the province's spokesperson on drugs, said the police had been very successful in raiding drug dens across the province.

He said, however, that courts were packed with 30,000 drug cases, which often took long to resolve because they involved substances that had to be analysed.

Mental health facilities were also overburdened with patients who had been brought in for drug-induced illnesses.

The health department, as part of its 2020 healthcare plan, was looking to scale up mental health services.

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Wed Jun 19 10:46:32 SAST 2013 ::

Aug 12, 2011

MsKinkyakaKamaSutra

"But this number increased to more than 40 when pupils, who after realising they could also be tested, voluntarily admitted to using drugs
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Phew! I bet they do chemistry at school as that is another way for them to know the chemical reactions and DIY drugs.

Eish baba msolo, if hase thobalano ke di drugs...
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Aug 12, 2011

Msiphos00

WTF
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Aug 12, 2011

candilious

Good our kids are being killed by this blerrie tik & Nyeope
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Aug 12, 2011

juju4president2013

The Cape of good Dope in deed...
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Aug 12, 2011

Papage

They learn from their Elders, Cape town parents are no good examble to their kids, they smoke in the houses, in the cars, they drink with them at homes and do all these ugly staffs in the presence of their kids. You can go to Eldorado Pard, Rivalea, Noortgesis, all the same, I think there is a bid problem with this particular nation.
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Aug 12, 2011

Nasty-Bis

man if i was pushing that sh!t there i'd be rich.

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Aug 12, 2011

jixxy

14 year olds are they delusional.
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Aug 12, 2011

Papage

My next job, I am goin to sell drugs, I will target Cabinet ministers children, they have money
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Aug 13, 2011

fhkjdgjjkdgjk

Wonderful.



(======= clothes6.us =======)

Believe you will love it.
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Sep 13, 2011

lariell

@ Papage......you dont know what you are talking about idiot...i am from a coloured area and we dont do half the things url accuse pple of...maybe they do that sh*t in ur area. Some coloured ppl are respectable ppl and jst mayb u smoke and drink with ur child...start sweepin b4 ur own door before you talk rubbish....
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