The excessive consumption of alcohol beverages left more than 2,014 young people with mental disorders in Maputo, Mozambique.
Mozambique’s Office of Prevention and Combat Against Drugs (GPCD) said the young people are between the ages of 16 and 25.
GPCD director Sara Jafete is quoted by state-controlled as saying that the group affected includes students, mainly from secondary school.
“Students mix alcohol with soft drinks and it becomes difficult for teachers to notice that their students are consuming alcohol and these are the cases we have seen in hospital units in Maputo,” said Jafete.
The office has held lectures and campaigns in several schools in Maputo to combat the trend, and Jafete appealed to parents and guardians not to give their children large sums of money.
“Love for our children is not measured in money, especially large amounts. Most of the time teenagers do not know how to manage money, and end up slipping into the world of drugs,” she warned.
Since the beginning of the year, 94 people have been detained for involvement in the sale and consumption of drugs.
Maputo city police commander Bernardino Rafael has declared that several drug rings have been broken up.
