Christopher R. Sablan said the abuse of butane gas is becoming widespread because it is cheaper compared to other addictive substances.
Children and adults using butane gas have been referred to the Community Guidance Center, said Sablan, who was one of the speakers of the Second Annual Counselors Conference at the Pacific Islands Club.
He said the center provides high quality mental health and substance abuse treatment and other therapeutic services to the population of the CNMI.
The center also provides community outreach, prevention and education services as well as referral assistance to other community resources, he added.
Alcohol remains the most prevalent substance abused and consumed in the CNMI, Sablan said.
“This is the most lethal drug,” he added.
Alcohol is followed by marijuana and “ice,” he said.
In an interview, Sablan said the government should address the problem with butane gas use by making the stores responsible for the sale of this merchandise.
Parents, he added, should also monitor their children and other members of the family.
“This thing should not be accessible to the kids,” he said.
The bad economy is one of the factors why some have resorted to the use of butane gas, Sablan said.
Some drug and alcohol dependent persons can no longer afford to buy alcohol or illegal substances, he added.
He urged school counselors to respond to the needs of their students who came from families that have problems with gambling, drugs or alcohol.
Leo Pangelinan, the College Access Challenge Grant project manager of Northern Marianas College, said in a separate that some have resorted to inhaling butane gas to escape from family problems.
He noted that a lot of families are now struggling financially and this affects students.
The goal of this conference, he said, was to help counselors deal with student who are facing “many issues.”
The school counselor and principal are the main people who deal with disciplinary issue, Pangelinan said, adding that the conference aimed to help them identify the tools that will allow them to work effectively.
