As students prepare to return to the classroom next week, the National Council on Substance Abuse (NCSA) is urging parents, guardians and adults to stay vigilant, warning that the start of a new school year is a high-risk transition period for children when it comes to substance use.
Dr Ronald Chase, psychiatrist and member of the NCSA’s board of directors, said the beginning of a school year brings a unique set of pressures for young people, particularly those moving into new form levels, new schools, or on to college and university.
“There’s always a concern for our youth . . . especially at transition periods,” he said, noting that while adults may not always recognise it, children face real stressors of their own during these shifts.
Chase explained that the transition into adolescence, in particular, coincides with a critical stage of psychological development in which young people begin questioning their identity beyond what their parents have taught them.
“That leads to experimentation sometimes, experimentation of new things that we would like them not to experiment with,” he stated. Still, he stressed that the picture is not without hope, pointing to strong youth engagement in NCSA programming as a sign that young people are seeking guidance.
Troy Wickham, deputy manager at the NCSA, raised concern over the growing availability of psychoactive substances, revealing that some are now being marketed online with alarming ease.
“Only recently, one of my colleagues shared some information with me, as it relates to a website, literally selling candy,” he said, explaining that users need only claim to be over 18 to gain access to a wide range of illicit substances such as edibles.
“Things like these are concerning . . . because we have evidence to suggest that we have these products locally,” he noted.
Wickham said the NCSA has a system in place to monitor the local market for new and emerging substances.
“It’s a mechanism developed to share information on new psychoactive substances,” he said. He acknowledged the system is not without its limitations.
“There’s always room for improvement with the mechanism itself,” he added.
He urged parents to remain closely engaged in their children’s lives.
“We encourage parents, especially, to pay attention, to be involved in their children’s lives, learn their children as much as possible, and learn who they’re socialising with,” he stressed, noting that research consistently shows the home, siblings and friends are usually a young person’s first point of contact with substances.
Asked what specific warning signs parents and guardians should watch for, Wickham pointed to mood swings, changes in appetite, behaviour and appearance, as well as symbols or branding associated with alcohol or marijuana culture, adding that withdrawal from normal household activity is often one of the clearest red flags.
Chase noted that distinguishing normal teenage rebellion from more serious warning signs can be difficult and encouraged parents to focus on knowing “your current child,” rather than relying on memories of who that child used to be. He described open, respectful communication as one of the most powerful tools available to parents. “A child is going to mirror their communication with you based on how you communicate with them,” he noted.
Betty Hunte, manager of the NCSA, said the organisation has also begun training adults beyond parents, including teachers, healthcare workers and general school staff, to recognise the signs of substance use.
(DDS)
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