Paco: the white death
by Eric Gagne
In North America, we had our crack epidemic: this white cocaine based paste.
In Argentina, a low quality crack calles "paco" is killing youngters all around
the Buenos Aires' villas, the argentinian version of the brazilian favelas.
“My poor son, they do not admit it in the hospitals nor in other therapeutic
centers because he is addicted to the paco. In fact, he is a psychiatric patient
who consumes that drug and is drifting without medical aid because nobody wants
to get involved with his problem”, explains Vilma Acuña, another mother who has
been fighting for several years to make the kids from the "villas" quit smoking
"paco". But this time, the drama got close to home: now, she must save his own
son's life.
Juan Pablo is 24 year old and spends his time on the streets of the Buenos Aires
district Mataderos. Everyone knows that he is dying little by little, consumed
by his paco consumption.
The paco consumption tripled from the 2005 in Buenos Aires and ita suburbs, and
dobled in the school population, revealed official data.
The National Study on Consumption of Psychoactive Substances of the Secretariat
of Programming for the Prevention of the Drug addiction and Lucha against
Narcotráfico (SEDRONAR) indicated that the cocaine based paste grew
exponentionally and also noticed an increase in the marijuana use and substances
inhalants “like gasolines and glues” allover the country.
But from today, help is on the way. Buenos Aires' Ministry of Health announced
the program “Mothers in Network Opposed to the Addictions”. This program will
allow 300 suburb mothers to become qualified to help the paco users.
“Six months ago, visiting suburb districts, we saw women disoriented and
desesperate by the gains of the paco and who did not know what tools to use
since he is not simple to confront the consumption situation”, told Patricia
Segovia, undersecretary at the Ministry of Health.
Segovia also explained that the objective is to fortify the means that allow
these mothers to face with greater knowledge, the problematic of one's
addictions. “But in no way, it will expose them to violent situations. We want
to advise them and help them to recover and to fortify the familiar bows."
Moreover, 185 Provincial Centers of Atención (CPA)will support these mothers and
offer free aid to the addicted users. It is expected that at least 30,000 people
per year will attend these centers.
| Created: |
September 11, 2007 20:49 GMT |
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