Though cartoons usually bring comic relief, a cartoon launched by the Department for National Drug Control (DNDC) has a more serious message attached.

The 15-minute film, based on the true story of 21-year-old Vince Petit, called "The boy who was swallowed by the drug monster" is making its rounds at Government summer day camps to show preteens the dangers of drug use, particularly marijuana, the most common drug used on the Island.

"If children don't know what drugs do to their body they can really end up getting hurt and they can mess up their future," said 11-year-old Marcus Smith after watching the cartoon.

Mr. Smith is a member of PRIDE, an anti-drug programme for youth, and admitted that he has learned how to have fun without doing drugs, for example participating in sports or joining after-school clubs.

Fifteen other children watched the film last Monday at Camp Palmetto at Port Royal and saw how a young boy struggling with problems at home was introduced to marijuana and began a whirlwind ride, eventually leading him to jail.

According to DNDC's 2003 Student Survey, 20 percent of school-aged children (593 students) have used marijuana in their lifetime, 10 percent (296 students) used in the last 30 days prior to taking the survey and 98 percent of youth entering treatment with Youth Counselling Services (41 students) cited marijuana as a problem.

Shavana Wilson, Acting Prevention Officer at the DNDC, provides people with the information and education to make healthy lifestyle choices, she said: "This (film promotes) awareness of how important it is for children not to use drugs.

"They were very in tune and very ready to grab the info that was available, they were absorbing all the knowledge." One of the campers, 12-year-old Patrick Lee, said after the film: "I thought that was a good way for children to understand what drugs do to you.

"If you do drugs you can go to jail, mess up your future, if you have children you won't be able to see your children, you won't be able to graduate from college and get a decent job," he said.

In July, DNDC was able to show the video to 84 children, at five of the six government summer camps, and they plan to have more outreach programmes in the fall when schools get back in.

Minister of Social Rehabilitation Dale Butler praised the initiative. "We must teach our young people from the earliest available opportunity, that the use of illegal drugs and misuse of prescription or over-the-counter drugs only leads to a life of turmoil," he said.

"We must dispel the myth that marijuana isn't so bad, and drive home the point that it is even more dangerous because it is a gateway drug."