rp21 situational analysis - Pacific Health Voices

period there may have been some instances.
In a 2006 survey on Kosrae, not a single person
interviewed, including the Chief of Police, was
aware of anyone who injected drugs on the
island, but there were a few reports of people
who had injected drugs while off-island. 213
The same report also identified two male
injecting drug users at risk for HIV. In addition,
the 2007 Pohnpei Youth Survey reported that
6.1 per cent of young females and 11.2 per
cent of young males reported having injected
drugs in the previous 12 months. There was
no information available as to whether the
injecting equipment used was sterile or not.
Given the illegal and socially unaccepted status
of this activity, it is unlikely that young people
would have ready access to sterile equipment.
Cannabis
In a 2001 youth health, behavioural and lifestyle
(YHBL) survey conducted by UNICEF,
marijuana was one of the drugs that students
least frequently reported using regularly, but
there was still one in eight who said that they
smoked marijuana once a week or more. 214
3.4 Licit drug trends
Alcohol
As a baseline measure of the concerns associated
with alcohol consumption in FSM,
a 1997–98 study showed that alcohol was
directly responsible for 5 per cent of all
deaths, 45 per cent of all suicides, and 85
per cent of all arrests. 215 A search of courtreported
judgments identified 38 reported
alcohol-related judgments in total, with 18
since 2000. 216 No follow-up survey on the
same scale has been undertaken in recent
times, though smaller-scale surveys reflect
current trends.
However, a 2006 survey of high school
students in Kosrae revealed that a quarter
of students reported being drunk at
least monthly. 217 During interviews in a
2006 situational analysis, key informants
among local police services reported almost
all call-outs were connected to alcoholrelated
incidents. 218 Similar to other PICTs,
data from a large-scale survey in 1997
49
213 Above, fn.195.
214 UNICEF (2001), The State of Health, Behaviour and Lifestyle of Pacific Youth: FSM report. Suva,
Fiji: UNICEF Pacific.
215 Drinking and drugs in Micronesia: survey of FSM & RMI (Republic of Marshall Islands], 1997:
workshop presentation by Fr Fran Hezel, 3rd PDARN meeting, Fiji, July 2008.
216 Above, fn.195.
217 Note that judgments are not always reported and these figures reflect only those cases that make
it to the court system. PacLII: (accessed May 2009).
218 Ibid.; F.X. Hezel (1997), Alcohol and Drug Use in the Federated States of Micronesia: an
assessment of the problem with implications for prevention and treatment. Pohnpei: Micronesian
Seminar (on behalf of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment).
Federated States of Micronesia