Marijuana continues to be the main controlled drug consumed in Grenada.
That’s according to data from the Grenada Drug Epidemiology Network (GRENDEN).
The data shows that marijuana was the most widely used and available drug in 2020.
According to the report a survey was conducted among seventy-one (71) student athletes in March last year, of which twenty-four (24) reported that they had used marijuana; this presents thirty-four (34) percent of the athletes who participated in the survey.
The average age of first use of marijuana among the athletes was 14 years.
Marijuana was said to be the main drug used by clients who sought treatment at the Rathdune Psychiatric Unit in 2020 for drug use; 94 of the 133 clients sought treatment due to problems associated with the use of marijuana.
Psychiatric conditions exhibited by the clients who accessed treatment included: anxiety-related disorders, borderline personality disorder, bipolar and related disorders, depressive disorders, schizophrenia spectrum and drug induced psychosis.
The research study, showed ‘Marijuana Use among Young Men in Grenada during the COVID-19 Pandemic’, indicated that 71 of the 96 respondents smoked marijuana, prior to March 25, 2020.
35 of the young men, who reported that they had smoked marijuana, were in the age group 17 to 21 years.
44 respondents reported that they smoked marijuana during that period March 25 to May 31, 2020.
While some clients at Rathdune and repondents to the marijuana survey for young men, encountered
legal challenges, including arrest and incarceration, for possession of marijuana.
According to GRENDEN to sum it up data shows that the use of marijuana is a ‘clear and present danger’ to the health and overall well-being of many persons in Grenada.
