FIJI’S Assistant Minister for Youth and Sports Alipate Nagata has expressed concerns with the use of drugs among youths.
In his opening speech at the launch of the Vodafone Fiji Secondary School rugby league competition, he said records obtained from the Fiji Police Force showed that 10 per cent of all crimes committed by youths last year were drug-related.
“This is a cause for concern and I commend the Fiji National Rugby League for taking steps to embark on an anti-drug campaign in secondary school sports to promote the cause against drugs,” Nagata said.
“We know that young people face huge socio-economic challenges and many fall prey to drugs and alcohol abuse; the consequences of which is other evils such as violence and crime.
“It does make a challenging resolve to include the campaign within the Vodafone Trophy competition to support efforts in combating drug-related problems in school.”
