Cape Town - Alcohol, tobacco and dagga - and not tik - have become the drugs of choice for Grade 8, 9 and 10 pupils in the Western Cape, a new study has revealed.
The study, by the SA Medical Research Council (MRC), the Western Cape government and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, also revealed that youngsters between the ages of 13 and 16 engaged in risky sexual behaviour and were at risk of mental health problems.
Two percent of the more than 20 000 pupils surveyed admitted to having used crystal methamphetamine (tik) or mandrax.
Announcing the results on Monday, Professor Neo Morojele, chief specialist scientist at the MRC’s alcohol and drug research unit, said: “Specifically, this survey found that 66 percent of learners reported having used alcohol.
“Learners who had consumed alcohol had high levels of frequent and excessive drinking as well as the early initiation of alcohol use (prior to the age of 13). Just under half (47 percent) of the learners reported ever having smoked tobacco. Of those who reported tobacco use, close to half were currently smoking.”
The study found that dagga was the most commonly reported illicit drug used by pupils. Almost a quarter of the pupils surveyed had used the drug.
Morojele said the use of all other drugs - including tik, mandrax and heroin - was lower than expected.
“In past studies we found the use in this category to be much higher than 2 percent,” she said.
“The last study was carried out in 2008 and the sample size was much smaller.
“We believe this study gives a clear picture of the situation.”
Morojele said the findings on tik suggested that existing interventions focused on reducing usage among young people may be working.
“But these efforts should be strengthened to prevent a resurgence of previous high levels of (tik) use in this age group,” she said.
The study also found that almost a third of pupils surveyed had had sex.
Morojele said pupils who were sexually active also reported high levels of sexual risk-taking, including failure to use condoms and having multiple sexual partners.
“There is a clear need for sexual risk reduction and family planning services in the province to prevent teen pregnancies as well as reduce risk for HIV and other STIs.”
Grade 8, 9 and 10 pupils were also frequently exposed to community violence, the study found.
Morojele said that 62 percent of pupils surveyed had witnessed an assault, 40 percent a stabbing, 21 percent a shooting, and 12 percent witnessed forced sex in 2010.
“The survey also found high levels of risk for mental health problems and engagement in various problem behaviours among learners,” she said. “Specifically, more than half of the learners were either at medium or high risk for mental health problems and/or aggressive behaviour.”
Schools in Belhar, Bishop Lavis and Uitsig - in the city’s metro north district - recorded the highest percentage of alcohol and dagga use. More than 77 percent of pupils surveyed in this district reported to have consumed alcohol in their life, while 35 percent said they had had alcohol in the past 30 days.
Social Development MEC Albert Fritz said the provincial government now had evidence-based research at its disposal for the first time.
“We’ve never had this research and this will inform our decisions in the future,” Fritz said.
“The study also indicated that the children want sport and recreational facilities in their areas. This research is very valuable. We can no longer say that all schoolchildren in the Western Cape are tik-koppe, but we do acknowledge that there are other challenges.”
The school survey on substance abuse, risk behaviour and mental health was conducted in 2011. It is the biggest provincial survey of adolescent substance use and associated risk behaviour conducted in the country to date.
Some 20 200 randomly selected pupils from 240 schools across the province participated.
A total of 57.1 percent of pupils were female and 42.9 percent male. Nearly 50 percent of those surveyed were Afrikaans first-language pupils, 19.4 percent English and 30.2 percent Xhosa.
Cape Argus