by Maria Bradshaw
Highly addictive synthetic drugs with dangerous side effects are creeping onto the drug scene in Barbados and a drug researcher is warning it must be stopped before it gets out of control.
Presenting the findings from the 2020 Barbados Drug Information Network Report (BARDIN) yesterday at the offices of the National Council on Substance Abuse (NCSA), Laura Foster, research and information officer, said non-traditional drugs such as methamphetamine (meth), ecstasy and ketamine had been detected in Barbados and the relatively small numbers showed a movement towards “a slow diversification of drugs”.
She told the gathering, which included Minister of Home Affairs Wilfred Abrahams: “The 2020 report highlights the continued diversification, albeit slow, of the drug situation and this we saw through the presence of non-traditional drugs such as methamphetamine, ecstasy and ketamine as well as non-traditional forms of marijuana.”
She added that the treatment data suggested that males and young persons were most likely to use and become addicted to these non- traditional substances. (MB)
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