DURING the election campaign last April, then Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte warned that if the disorder brought by illegal drugs will not end, the Philippines will become a narco state.
In a press statement, Duterte said the country is showing alarming signs of becoming a narco state. “In the national capital region where the country’s capital is situated, the government admitted that 92 percent of barangays are already infiltrated by illegal drugs,” he said.
If Manila, considered to be the country’s seat of power, is helpless to address this, “what more the other parts of the country where government presence is weak?” the tough-talking Duterte asked.
A few years ago, a Manila-based doctor told this author: “There was a report I heard some years ago that Metro Manila crimes or 70 percent of these are associated with use of illicit drugs. I have not really seen this report and do not know who made this.”
According to Duterte, international drug syndicates have already penetrated the country. He cited the Sinaloa drug cartel as a case in point; it is “a Mexican-based group considered the largest and most powerful drug trafficking organization in the west.”
“This is a clear national security threat,” he declared. “This is an invasion of a new kind. Drug lords, domestic and foreign, have declared a war against our families and children, and the government is helpless about it.”
“Drug abuse has ruined many lives,” declares Dr. Willie T. Ong, an internist-cardiologist and consultant at the Manila Doctor’s Hospital and Makati Medical Center. “The threat of illegal drugs is real and it’s closer than we think. In the Philippines, the drug abuse situation has actually increased over the years.”
It must be recalled that in 2008, the Philippine media reported the arrest of 11 high-school students who were caught doing a pot session in Quezon City. Most of the arrested students came from the ranks of “financially distressed families.”
As the students could not afford to conduct “the pot session in a luxurious hotel or a mansion-like residence or condominium in one of the metropolitan areas’ premier locations that some scions of well-to-do families reportedly do on a regular basis,” they held it only in a “vacant lot.”
A drug is defined as “any substance intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, relief, treatment or prevention of disease or intended to affect the structure or function of the body.” A simpler but workable definition of a drug is any chemical substance that affects the body and its processes.
“By law, drugs are divided into two categories: prescription drugs and non-prescription drugs,” explains The Merck Manual of Medical Information. “Prescription drugs — those considered safe for use only under medical supervision — may be dispensed only with a prescription from a licensed professional with governmental privileges to prescribe.”
Non-prescription drugs, on the other hand, are those considered safe for use without any medical supervision (like aspirin, for instance). Oftentimes, these drugs are sold over-the counter.
To some people, the word “drug” means a substance that alters the brain’s function in ways considered pleasurable — a mind-altering substance. These are what the Dangerous Drug Board (DDB) as “dangerous drugs” or “illegal drugs.”
“Drug abuse exists when a person continually uses a drug other than its intended purpose,” the DDB explains in its website. “This continued use can lead to drug dependence, a state of physical and psychological dependence or both on a dangerous drug.”
Drug abuse affects Filipinos from all walks of life. Based on the reports submitted to the DDB in 2014, 92 percent of the admitted cases to treatment and rehabilitation centers were males and almost eight percent were females. The ratio of male to female is 12:1.
The DDB says that those who belong to the 30-34 age-group comprised most of the admitted cases with 20 percent The 40-and-above bracket closely trailed with 19 percent. About 18 percent belong to the 25 to 29 age-group. The average age is 30 years old. The youngest was 9 years old and the oldest was 78 years old.
Almost half (49 percent) of the admitted cases were single, while 33 percent were married. Fourteen percent reported to have live-in partners and the remaining 3 percent were either separated, widow/widower or divorced.
Based on the educational attainment, 30 percent comprised those who have reached college level, followed by those who reached high school with 25 percent and those who finished high school at 16 percent.
Of the reported 4,392 total admission, 48 percent were unemployed, 27 percent were workers or employees, 11 percent were businessman/self-employed, 8 percent were out-of-school youths and 4 percent were still students.
As to the age when those admitted first tried to use drugs, 48 percent belong to the 15 to 19 age group. Half of the reported cases have taken drugs two to five times a week while 21 percent have it on a daily basis.
Based on a report on cases admitted in treatment and rehabilitation centers, the top 10 commonly abused drugs are as follows: shabu or methamphetamine hydrochloride, marijuana, inhalants like rugby, sedative drugs like benzodiazepines, cough and cold preparations like codeine, ecstasy, cocaine, nalpuphine hydrochloride, psilocybin or magic mushroom and solvents like acetone and thinner.
In 2012, the Philippines was singled out to have “the highest abuse rate for shabu” in East Asia, according to the United Nations World Drug Report, which was posted on the website of the US Embassy in Manila.
A Philippine Daily Inquirer report said that “2.1 percent of Filipinos aged 16 to 64 were using shabu,” and “domestic consumption of methamphetamine and marijuana continued to be the main drug threats in the Philippines.”
Of the top 10 ten most abused drugs mentioned earlier, shabu and marijuana topped them all: 47 percent and 18 percent, respectively.
“Different illicit drugs can have their own peculiar effects,” writes Ong in his book, Doctors’ Health Tips and Home Remedies. “As a whole, these drugs may lead to heart disease, stroke, cancer, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and C, lung disease, obesity and mental disorders.”
Shabu, for instance, “can cause chest pain, irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, heart attack and even cardiac arrest. Methamphetamines may also give rise to irritability, talkativeness, insomnia and violent and destructive behavior.”
Marijuana, on the other hand, “can cause chest pain, lack of coordination, poor memory, poor concentration, red eyes and temporary loss of fertility,” Ong points out. Constant use of marijuana can also “significantly reduces a person’s capacity to learn, carry-out complicated tasks, participate in sports, driving and operating other machineries.”
The use by young Filipinos of prohibited drugs is now considered as one of the country’s scourge. The abuse has reached epidemic, if not widespread, proportion.
In his book, Ong gives some possible signs of drug abuse. “First, the person may associate with friends who are known drug users. Second, the person often needs money and sometimes steals things at home. Third, the person may exhibit some changes in behavior and mood.”
On the latter, he explains: “He or she may be irritable, discourteous and aggressive. (If the person is a student, he or she) may stop going to class and receive failing grades. There may be poor personal grooming and a general lack of interest in life. Take note, however, that these behavioral clues are not always present.”
The DDB further gives these signs: asks to be left alone a lot, always tired (or makes it as an excuse to be left alone), careless and often becomes involved in accidents, implicated in a lot of fights, sudden change in appearance and conduct (red or puffy eyes, weight changes, constant complaints of headaches or stomachaches, shaking, incessant cough, brown stains on fingertips, stumbling, or a constant runny nose), loss of interest in hobbies or sports, exhibits poor judgment, and finds it difficult to concentrate.
“If you suspect that a friend is using drugs, talk to him or her,” the DDB suggests. “Let your friend know that you care. Talk to your parents, teacher, school counselor, or another trusted adult. Offer to go with your friend to his parents or a counselor for help.”
Help someone who is addicted to drugs. “Drug addiction is considered a disease and needs comprehensive and prolonged treatment,” Ong reminds. “After being rehabilitated, the drug abuser should still be closely monitored so that he or she will not relapse again into using drugs.”