Students from all over Suva came out in numbers for an oratory contest at Suva Grammar School to talk about the effects of drugs in Fiji.
With the theme for International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking: Be Responsible, Make the Right Choice and Stay Away from Drugs, students were made aware of the negative impacts of drugs in their lives.
Nasinu Secondary School student Alanieta Davetawalu says people who take drugs are digging their own graves, which increases their chance of losing their mental health.
Davetawalu says people should make the right choice and stay away from drugs.
She adds the impact of substance abuse reaches far and wide, affecting individuals, families and communities alike, which is a stark reality that poses a significant threat to people's well-being.
Furthermore, she says as responsible members of society, they have a duty to themselves and to each other to resist the temptation of substance abuse.
She adds that the allure of drugs, often glamorized in the media and misrepresented as a gateway to pleasure or escape, belies the harsh truth of addiction and its devastating consequences.
Additionally, Davetawalu emphasized the importance of making the decision to abstain from drugs that contribute not only to our personal resilience but also to the strength of our communities.
