A substance-use treatment programme for adolescents affected by drug use is on the way, the Minister of National Security told the Upper House yesterday.

Ryan Robinson Perinchief said the Cabinet recently approved the treatment programme, set to begin accepting participants next March.

The programme, which will operate on a $450,000 yearly budget, will be carried out as an outpatient service within the Department for Drug Control.

Programme design is ongoing. Recruitment for five personnel, including counsellors, will begin shortly.

Mr Robinson Perinchief said it filled a gap, since Bermuda lacks a dedicated substance-use treatment programme for young people, with services geared towards adults and mental health services for young people missing substance use as a primary concern.

He said “a publicly acceptable treatment pathway designed specifically for them” was required.

Senators heard that the need in Bermuda was growing. Mr Robinson Perinchief said a 2023 national schools survey pointed to a rise in vaping, alcohol and drug use among young people.

He added: “Trauma, chronic stress and social isolation are contributing to earlier experimentation and heavier use.

“Easy access through peers and the normalisation of alcohol and drug use in the environment around young people add to that risk.

“The consequences are felt in school disengagement, family strain, mental health crises, and for some young people pathways into antisocial or gang-related activity.”

Survey data also points to more young people reaching out for help, Mr Robinson Perinchief said.

The survey found that students reporting alcohol or drug-related problems and seeking treatment rose from 18 per cent in 2019 to 27 per cent in 2023, with increases at every high-school grade level.

“Clearly, this is a disturbing trend that must be addressed by a readily accessible and specialised programme for this age group,” he said.

However, he said, young people are becoming more willing to seek professional help.

“Until now when a young person has needed treatment, families, schools and service providers have been left trying to determine where it can be found,” he added.

The programme will provide co-ordinated community-based services, offering intervention, assessment and treatment.

Mr Robinson Perinchief said the unit managing the programme will work alongside schools, families, health and social service providers as well as community organisations and other government departments.

John Wight, the Vice-President of the Senate, asked for detail on the scope of the issue.

Mr Robinson Perinchief said a 2025 report indicated that referrals among young people for substance use had risen by 21 per cent.

The report also stated that nearly half of the island’s students between the ages of 10 and 18 had used at least one drug.

Tarik Dunbar Smith, an opposition senator, said the programme was “much needed”.

He added: “Coming up in my neighbourhood, the gateway drug has always been marijuana for a lot of young Bermudians.

“And it could lead to other drug uses — so this is very much needed.”