THE aggressive anti-drug campaign has pushed the street value of methamphetamine hydrochloride or “shabu” to increase.
Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)–Cordillera chief Edgar Apalla said a quarter of a gram of shabu is now pegged at P 5,000 to 7,500 which has created a shift to marijuana use.
Apalla said the scarcity of shabu has caused the price hike of the illegal drug making marijuana or “green gold” of the mountains the drug of choice.
In the past, PDEA reported the city has become the main trans-shipment point for marijuana products but shabu is still the drug of choice.
With the shift in drug choice, PDEA is stepping up school monitoring with massive Information and Education Campaigns (IEC) focusing on the youth as they are most prone to fall prey to drug use.
Apalla said the usual causes of drug use among the youth include peer pressure, stressing the need to reach out to schools and universities.
The PDEA and police goes to various schools and universities to inform and educate the youth on the perils of drug use.
Among the substances to be discussed in the IEC caravan of the agency is the perils of party drugs and how it is geared towards the student market in the hope the youth will refrain from taking the drug.
The City Social Welfare and Development Office has set up 14 Family Life Resource Centers with pastors and volunteers facilitating counseling and rehabilitation with 200 graduating from the program to date. (Maria Elena Catajan)