Synthetic drug consumption: 168 users admitted in hospital

Synthetic drugs are taking their toll on users. According to testimonies given to the National Drug Commission, by Dr Anil Jhugroo, representative of the Ministry of Health, 168 persons have been admitted across the national hospitals following side-effects of synthetic drug consumption. This figure covers the months spanning from July 2015 to April 2016. Testifying before former judge Paul Lam Shang Leen, who chairs the drug commission flanked with his assessors Sam Lauthan and Ravind Domun, Dr Jhugroo revealed the social backgrounds of synthetic drug users. Among the persons admitted to hospital following use of synthetic drugs, 23% were students, 29% were unemployed, 39% were low-income earners, 5% were from middle class background while 4% were convicts. Another startling fact revealed by the Ministry of Health’s representative, 87% of hospitalised users were men and 13% women. Regarding the geographical distribution of synthetic drug consumption, the district of Port Louis is the hardest hit by this social scourge, followed by Plaines Wilhems, Black River, and Pamplemousses among others. The panel of the National Drug Commission sought additional information as to the origins of these statistics. To that, Dr Jhugroo replied that figures emanate from hospital records and meetings with stakeholders. Regarding scientific analysis, the Minitry of Health’s representative stated that there is a lack of equipment at the Ministry and they cannot analyse urine samples. Those are sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory. He highlighted that the vast majority of synthetic drug users do not seek treatment in national hospitals.