Students getting high on ‘rummy bears’

A St Catherine-based principal has been forced to put in place tighter security measures to clamp down on the growing sale of gummy shots that are in high demand among students. Gummy shots which are also called ‘rummy bears’ (Gummy bears infused with alcohol) are among the newest home-made drug products that have found their way into the institution.

“Vending is strictly prohibited but some of these students, especially the boys, still manage to bring these bears into the school. The first time I learned about this mix was in 2018. I initially thought the children were just enjoying the sweets but a student brought it to my attention that they weren’t just sweets but drugs,” he told THE WEEKEND STAR. However, not wanting to make an alarm, he devised a plan to stop the gummy bear distributor.

“I sent the student to purchase one of the bears while I keenly watched through a window. The distributor made the deal like a well-seasoned professional. I tasted one of the bears and it was so laced with rum that it was bitter. The seller was dealt with accordingly but in reality it didn’t stop the sales as there were other students peddling it. As soon as mi deal with one, mi find out about a next seller. It wasn’t just the boys who were selling either,” he said.

Fast-forward to 2022 and the educator says while they have not entirely got rid of the bad weeds, with intervention and disciplinary measures, they have managed to make progress.

“It is straight suspension if any of the students are caught selling or consuming these or any other drugs in the school. Repeated offenders are not often given a second chance. But most importantly, we try to have sessions with the students about drug abuse. We also try to find out what is fuelling the sales and consumption of these products,” he added.

A student at the St Catherine-based school says he has been selling the alcohol infused bears since he was in second form. He also shared details of how he prepares the product for market.

“Five hundred dollar can give yuh a good amount of di bear dem. So mi buy di rum and throw it out inna big basin and throw in di bear and put di dish inna di fridge and make it soak overnight. Some a di pickney dem like when it freeze so mi freeze some a dem. When morning come, mi pack dem out in di little bags whe dem use wrap styling gel and Miss, mi nuh have hand fi sell when mi reach school. Mi use to eat dem one time but a good ting mi nuh too eat dem again because dat would mean say mi a eat out mi profit. Is four bear to a bag for $50,” he pointed out.

The student acknowledged that his practice is illegal but does not think it is causing much harm.

“Mi never see it make anyone get drunk, dem will get frass and more time di girls dem say dem feel tipsy like dem wah have sex. Mi nago say mi a do the right ting but yuh done know say as youth a lot of the times we love di tings dem whe bad fi wi,” he pointed out.

President of the National Parent-Teacher Association of Jamaica Mitzie Harris-Dillon says she is taken aback by this craze and that parental engagement is urgently needed.

“What is needed is a lot of engagements with our parents as we need to know about their socio-economic background and the environment in which some of our children are raised. There are so many factors that play when things like that happen. It’s not just discipline as they are so many things outside of that which influence how children behave. Some of it is from the parents, some of it is from the communities,” she said. Dillon insisted that social intervention is needed now to address the issue of drug use in schools.

“One of the things that we have been crying out for is that we need a partnership with the administrators to help us to get the PTA within the respective schools active. It is a mission that we have to take the time to do. We have to speak with psychologists and see if we can set up some platforms to engage with the parents about these happenings, the molly and all of these things,” she said.

THE WEEKEND STAR reached out to the National Council on Drug Abuse for a comment but calls to the company’s executive director Michael Tucker went unanswered.