A few weeks ago, at a government school in the western suburbs, a teacher found a student behaving strangely.
When he looked closer, the teacher found that the latter was chewing a substance, which he later learnt produced mild intoxication.
Called ‘Cool Lip,’ this substance is said to be freely available outside some government schools in many parts of the city. A tobacco-based product, it is sold in sachets, each at Rs. 12. Teachers and parents are perturbed by the fact that students have easy access to such materials.
“Cool Lip is sold in small sachets in many petty shops. Students roll it under their tongue even during class hours and sit in a daze,” said a teacher of a government school in Kolathur on condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, another teacher from a government school in Saidapet said that many dropouts sell these intoxicants. “These children sell these substances to their former classmates. We cannot question them as they may even hit the teachers,” the teacher added.
R. Ardhanari, a former government school headmaster, said he was aware of a few students using such substances regularly.
“They get a ‘kick’ from it. This habit affects their concentration and studies,” he said.
According to teachers, it is difficult to get these children to give up this habit.
A senior Corporation official said it was completely up to the headmaster of the school to take action.
“Petty shops should not sell such tobacco products in and around schools. The Principal concerned can inform the police and take action against them. The shop can even be removed,” the official added.
Those manning 104, the State-run health helpline that provides counselling on de-addiction, among other things, said: “We receive around 80 calls a month seeking de-addiction help. Out of this, 10 to 12 are from children.”
Team of psychologists
“We have a team of psychologists who follow up on these calls regularly,” said P. Vijaykumar, State head of operations, GVK EMRI, which operates the helpline. A senior police official said that they would look into the issue.
Dangerous trend
--> Students roll ‘Cool Lip’ under their tongue even during class hours, teachers say
--> It is learnt to produce mild intoxication, and students sit in a daze
--> Principals may inform police about shops selling such products and have them removed
--> Many school dropouts are said to be selling intoxicants
--> State-run health helpline receives 80 calls a month seeking de-addiction help