Sunday 21 June 2015

JAMAICA: Weed in the works at Hillel


JAMAICA: Weed in the works at Hillel / Jamaica Gleaner / Administrators at a prestigious Corporate Area secondary school are moving swiftly to deal with students turning up for school high on weed.

Reports are that the students at the Hillel Academy are not smoking the ganja, instead they are ingesting it through a popular candy.

The Sunday Gleaner has received a copy of a letter sent to parents and guardians of children attending the school, as well as teachers at the institution.

According to the letter, the candies take the shape of the popular 'gummy bears' and 'gummy worm' candies but contain marijuana extracts.

"These candies have been marketed to teenage schoolchildren as 'weed edibles'. It is clear that the candies are designed to be attractive to children," read a section of the letter.

It continued: "Whilst the exact nature of the psychoactive ingredients that they contain is not clear, it seems apparent that each candy contains a high dose. Teenaged children who have consumed them have reported a very unpleasant and disorienting experience involving dizziness, inability to focus, inability to concentrate, feelings of nausea, and feelings of anxiety and of fear for their health."

The letter stated that it was the decision of the school to contact the parents about the candies as it is the parents who hold primary responsibility for protecting their children from the lures of drugs and alcohol.

It urged the parents to discuss the matter with their children in an effort to reduce the likelihood of risky behaviour.

NOTHING MORE TO ADD When contacted last week, director of the school, Nicholas Hazell, confirmed that the letter was sent from the institution.

"Yes, (but) I think the letter speaks for itself. There's nothing more really that I can add to that," said Hazell.

He added that he was not sure how the students got possession of the drug-tainted candies despite Sunday Gleaner sources claiming that students have been seen consuming and selling the candy on the school compound.

While Hazell emphasised that Hillel Academy had nothing to hide regarding the use of weed candies on its compound, he took issue with the media's involvement in the developing issue.

"We expect the parents to respect the school's standing in the community, and certainly, I would say that they are in breach of at least a placid agreement with the school if they are sharing information with outside parties in a way that's designed to cause the school embarrassment," said Hazel.

Up to last Thursday, Senior Superintendent Fitz Bailey, head of the St Andrew Central Police Division, in which the Hillel Academy High School falls, had not received a formal report on the matter.

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