YOUR EDITORIAL of December 9, 2001 regarding the fact that our nationals continue to be employed as 'drug mules' to England has tempted me to offer this suggestion which I am convinced will prove to be a part of the solution to this grave problem. Our people must be educated about the inherent danger of swallowing packages of a lethal drug such as cocaine. I do believe that if those who are involved in this illegal and dangerous practice had any knowledge of the anatomy of the gastrointestinal tract or the physiology of digestion they would not commit this dangerous act.
Most of our people are not aware of the distance between the mouth and the anus, nor of the powerful changes the ingested material must undergo before reaching the other end. Even if purgatives are employed to speed up the process, the distance to be negotiated is long and tedious. Only by the mercy of God has anyone who has swallowed packages of cocaine survived. I am of the opinion that only packages made of tin, glass or some other metal, can safely withstand the chemical action of hydrochloric acid in the stomach, and the powerful enzymes in digestive juices of the small intestine.
In the recent past there was an informative and persuasive public education programme on television and radio aimed at teaching farmers et al about the proper use of pesticides etc. I suggest that a similar production be made on this topic to enlighten these young folks on the suicidal nature of their actions. Equally dangerous is transporting these cocaine packages via the vagina. This tube like structure in its healthy state is a warm moist environment also capable of dissolving paper packages causing the drug to be absorbed through the vaginal mucous membrane into the blood stream. This may also prove to be quite dangerous. Despite hard times there remains a love of life and a strong instinct of self-preservation in most human beings. Please let us help our people, They are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
