FORMER model and actor Lito Gruet, a reformed drug addict, said lives were destroyed because of the use of illegal drugs.
He said illegal drugs are a consumable commodity purchased and used only once.
Addicts patronize their investment over, and over, and over again for years until the time when they are no longer marketable and only God knows how they are disposed of, he said.
He said: "During my drug years, I joined a group I got acquainted with in one of our local casinos to freeload on shabu. We went to an apartelle nearby. While we were busy sniffing the meth, expected visitors arrived – a gay pimp and three very young girls in their teens. My friend had ordered for their services just like you order your typical fast food."
"The deal was P15,000 cash or one 'bulto' or five grams of shabu with a street value then of P25,000," he added.
Gruet said he asked one of the girls why they got into this kind of work and she said they were sold by their relatives to the syndicate.
I never reported it because I too was doing criminal acts and avoided cops like a plague. I was scared of the consequences, he said.
The really sad part is, these are not isolated cases, he said.
Gruet comes to Bacolod City frequently as he has his relatives here.
It is his advocacy to guide those who are still curious about the use of the illegal drugs.
He asked them not to try even once because "addiction starts from the first try and once you are into it, you cannot just easily tell yourself to stop. Unless you and your family decide to seek professional help and intervention."
