Moroccan groups target teen tobacco, drug use

29/05/2009

Moroccan non-governmental organisations have come together to address the issue of tobacco and drug addiction among young people. Still, no progress can be made unless families play their part in the lives of their children.

By Sarah Touahri for Magharebia in Rabat – 29/05/09

[www.who.int] Ahead of World No Tobacco Day, Morocco launched an awareness campaign against the dangers of tobacco.

Civil society in Morocco is working to battle tobacco and drug addiction among young people. With the help of non-governmental organisations, many teenagers have managed to kick their habits.

Eighteen-year-old Salim is one of them. His teacher got him back on the straight and narrow by helping him beat his problem with drugs, and now he tells his story to other young people to discourage them from starting the dangerous behaviour.

"A friend offered me my first cigarette and I soon got hooked. When I realised my parents didn't know what I was doing, I carried on until one day a teacher who was a member of an organisation saved me by giving me advice and support for several weeks," he said.

He is not the only young person to speak publicly about his bad experience. Other youngsters, including girls, have told their friends and teachers of their misadventures and the role civil society campaigners had in helping them.

A member of Moroccan Association for Listening and Dialogue, Amina Baaji, a teacher, has helped several secondary-school pupils over the years put their difficulties behind them.

"Families must look after their children and try to understand them so that they will not become addicted to tobacco or drugs," she explained. "Failure to listen and understand is the main reason young people are led astray and fall by the wayside."

Another teacher, Jamal Bahaoui, agreed. If young people are to be shielded from tobacco and drugs, families and schools must be vigilant and try to understand the needs and fears of teenagers, he added. Teachers must spend more time listening to their pupils so that they can give them guidance and help them deal with their psychological problems, he suggested.

Marital problems between her parents spurred Samira, a secondary-school student, to start smoking and take drugs when she was thirteen. "My mother took no notice of me. She gave me money to get rid of me. As for my dad, he only came home in the evening and always started arguments. I easily found refuge in drugs."

"The best way of getting the message across is not giving advice, but rather taking a participatory approach based on the involvement of young people themselves," argued Jalal Tawfik, a psychiatrist. He encourages all young people who have overcome addiction to tobacco or drugs to act as an example to others.

Parents and teachers stress the importance of tackling cigarette smoking, as it can often serve as a stepping-stone to drug addiction.

A three-week awareness campaign was launched on May 15th by the Lalla Salma Cancer Association. The campaign aims to "make people sit up and take notice, raise awareness of the dangers of tobacco and change behaviour so that people don't start smoking." The World Health Organisation's World No Tobacco Day is May 31st.