The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has expressed concern after discovering a student at a nearby high school allegedly selling Xanax tablets to his peers for R5 per pill.
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Also known as Alprazolam, Xanax is used to treat anxiety and panic disorders. It belongs to a class of medications called benzodiazepines, which act on the brain and nerves (the central nervous system) to produce a calming effect. It works by enhancing the effects of a certain natural chemical in the body (GABA).
Left untreated, abusing these drugs is common and can negatively impact your relationships, career, and physical and emotional health. Benzodiazepines are a type of tranquillizer.
According to IOL, a community activist raised the alarm following the incident in Mitchell’s Plain.
Millicent Merton of the Western Cape Education Department said the school, which could not be identified, had taken action against the learner and that the incident had raised awareness about the issue of drug abuse.
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‘We can confirm that a learner was expelled following a disciplinary process which started in June this year,’ said Merton.
‘Even though a limited number of Xanax-related incidents were reported this year, it warrants our attention because the WCED strives for a drug-free school environment.’
Philadelphia Hartzenberg, a community activist, told IOL that the public, especially parents, had to be made aware.
She emphasised that a doctor’s prescription is required, adding that the learner who had been caught with the pills was in matric and would have been finishing his schooling this year.
The department did not confirm whether the medication was sold on the school grounds.
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Picture: Lance Reis / Unsplash