Weed and Xanax are now drugs of choice at various schools in KwaZulu-Natal, with parents concerned that primary school pupils are experimenting with these dangerous substances.
Panic disorder and anti-anxiety medication Xanax is said to be the most preferred drug for pupils.
For as little as R6, pupils can get their dose of the life-threatening drug, which has seen several pupils hospitalised after overdosing.
Schools in various townships in Durban such as Umlazi, KwaMashu, Chatsworth, Ntuzuma and Wentworth are leading in reported cases.
The problem has also escalated to rural schools around the iLembe district, especially in KwaDukuza and some parts of eMpangeni on the KZN north coast.
Some parents who spoke to Sunday World appealed to the KZN department of education to hatch a plan to deal with the proliferation of drugs.
Veronica Samuels, a parent and community activist in Wentworth, said the war should be taken to the drug peddlers, who are corrupting children.
“We are sitting with a ticking bomb, which can explode anytime. We are talking about primary school learners who are now hooked on drugs,” lamented Samuels.
Another community activist and member of the Durban Drug Forum, Phila Zulu, said mobile police stations should be dispatched to schools.
“This is a well-coordinated plan to destabilise schooling and turn children into drug addicts. It’s a security threat and a national disaster.”
Three pupils in KwaNonhlevu were recently hospitalised for overdosing on Xanax.
Parents also lament that the proliferation of drugs has seen pupils recruited by drug lords to sell to their peers.
They claim pupils are armed with pangas and knives to safeguard their turfs.
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