The Community of Madrid has installed mailboxes (physical and virtual) in several institutes in the region to receive anonymous complaints about drug use among students, with special attention to cannabis, as the families of a center have denounced and confirmed the Confederation of AMPAS , AFAS and FAMPAS of the Community of Madrid (Confapa). The measure is one of the 75 that includes the Regional Plan against Drugs of the Community of Madrid and has been implemented a few weeks ago in several centers, according to confapa, in addition to having enabled a website that serves any HEIs in the region.
From the Confederation they explain that this proposal presents several problems. “While some of the measures collected in the plan are logical and enter into a document of this nature, such as training measures, informative, awareness, collaboration with other public and social entities, etc., the installation From a mailbox of anonymous complaints of drug use, it can generate or reinforce harassment behaviors in the centers, serve as an excuse to act disproportionately about students who require greater attention and means On the part of the center and, the most serious, stigmatize and criminalize the child in a public way when he has consumed cannabis, ”explains Fernando Mardones, vice president and spokesman for the organization.
The explanatory pamphlet From the Community of Madrid explains that “a physical mailbox of anonymous alerts will be placed in each educational center that will immediately activate the prevention protocol in the presence of drugs or situations of risk, suspicion or evidence of addictive behaviors.”
Mardones, who explains that Confapa is against drug use, also criticizes that the campaign focuses exclusively on cannabis consumption, one of the obsessions of the regional president, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, while leaving out (or does not mention) others drugs, such as cocaine or alcohol. “Why don’t you act with alcohol, which is a real problem? Or tobacco, or medications to treat stress or depressions, which the ministry is trying to control and those are uncontrolled, ”the spokesman wonders.
In addition, Mardones continues, this proposal questions the presumption of innocence, “which is totally discarded in the plan, and leaves the student or the student accused of consuming in a situation of total helplessment.” Nor is it clear where the line is drawn: will it be denounced to minors who consume drugs in their free time, a weekend, or outside the school environment? Can you report teachers or is it only for students?
The mailbox, which also exists in its digital format, does not include any section to provide tests. This circumstance, together with the anonymity of the complainants, can cause bullying or reinforce the existing one, warns the spokesman.
This newspaper has asked the Ministry of Education for these details, which for the moment has not answered. In The website where the plan is explained It is explained that “it aims to increase the sensitivity and social awareness of risks and damage caused by drugs and improve the prevention of consumption and addiction to all kinds of psychotropic substances.” As reported by this document, “those responsible for the Regional Drug Plan will be responsible for taking appropriate measures.”
The community argues in the Drug Plan document that “in the last year there has been an increase in the use of cannabis and new psychoactive substances between adolescents and young adults. Cannabis is the most consumed illegal drug among young people. According to the survey on drug use in secondary teachings in Spain, you study 2023 ”, 92.3% of those under 20 years in treatment for substances do so due to problems with this drug”.
But That same survey denies the first statementIn addition to pointing out that alcohol and tobacco are the most consumed drugs and those that have a younger start age. “Among the students of secondary education aged between 14 and 18 years, drugs with the highest prevalence of consumption in the last 12 months are alcohol (73.6%), tobacco (27.7%), the Cannabis (21.8%) and hypnosedants with or without a medical recipe (14.8%). Compared to the results of 2021, the consumption of alcohol and hypnosedants with or without recipe have increased and, nevertheless, the consumption of tobacco and cannabis have decreased ”.
The regional president has drawn her drug policy throughout these years: the president extol is Implement the Ministry of Health and demonize the use of cannabis. This vision of drug use has been reflected in the regional plan implemented now.
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