Evidence of widespread and increasing drug use and addiction in Israel, especially among children and high school youths, is causing alarm among parents, teachers and government officials. Attorney General Aharon Barak has just submitted a report on the drug problem to the Cabinet with recommendations that the authorities adopt a national policy with respect to both the legal and medical aspects of drug procurement and usage. The Cabinet is expected to discuss the matter shortly, possibly at its next session.
Barak noted that narcotics use increased conspicuously after the 1967 Six-Day War and has permeated all segments of Israeli society. According to Health Ministry estimates, there are over 1600 drug addicts in Israel and the number of addicts–persons who regularly use drugs–is believed to be increasing at a rate of 150 a year. Barak’s report said that a 1971 survey showed that five percent of Israeli high school students used drugs, mainly hashish. He said no data was available on the number of student drug users now.
DRUG USE AT HIGH SCHOOLS
The Attorney General’s report coincided with complaints of drug use at high schools in Jerusalem, south Tel Aviv, Herzliya and Yahud. Three students at the Rehavia Gymnasium in Jerusalem one of Israel’s most prestigious high schools, have been questioned by police about their alleged use of “pot”–marijuana–and throe other students were reported under suspicion. It was leaned, meanwhile, that police have detained five youths as alleged drug pushers at the Rehavia high school.
Tel Aviv district police are investigating a complaint by teachers at a south Tel Aviv school that pushers have been seen near the school distributing drug-soaked cigarettes to young children. According to the complaints, the pushers try to make addicts of the youngsters by offering them chocolates and then enticing them to try hashish cigarettes.
Initially the drugs, are given away but when the children become “hooked” they are forced to pay the teachers’ complaint said. Similar complaints have come from Herzliya north of Tel Aviv and Yahud, a town east of Tel Aviv. The authorities note that Rehavia and Herzliya are affluent suburbs while south Tel Aviv and Yahud are slum areas.
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