'I was in the hospital flatlining'; J'versatile calls on youth to stay away from drugs
Addressing a gathering at Festival Grounds after a march through Road Town against edibles, which was sponsored by the Seventh-day Adventist Church on Saturday, May 30, 2026, Williams shared that he nearly lost his life after he was "given something to eat. I didn't know what it was. Next thing you know, I was in the hospital, flatlining."
The young man also related that he had learned that he was acting unusually before he ended up in the hospital. "I was up and down Main Street doing all kinds of craziness."
Noting that it was only because of God that he is alive today, Williams said he was not comfortable speaking publicly about his experience, but he was willing to do it for the youth.
“I want to speak to the kids and tell them, you know, you don't have to be doing everything your friends are doing. God gave everybody the insight and the mindset to know right from wrong. If you feel like it's wrong, stay away from it, please, don't do it, because some people are doing it.”
The march, which saw participation from Adventurers, Pathfinders, MasterGuides, church members and members of the youth groups, M.A.L.E. and F.E.M.A.L.E., took place under the theme “Protect our Youth, Protect our Community, Choose Health, Choose Hope.”
Williams emphasised that while young people might think that engaging in risky behaviour is cool, it is far more important to embrace their uniqueness.
'Speak out'
“Everybody's unique, and everybody has a purpose. You will stay away from drugs, and I'll reiterate, stay away from drugs, cause I could have lost my life that day, doing something for the first time. It was only God, a little simple, innocent thing, like a piece of cake, a piece of cookie that is so good. You know, stay away from it,” he added.
He also highlighted the importance of speaking up when someone feels uncomfortable accepting something from another person. He encouraged friends to intervene when they observe negative behaviour.
“If somebody's going to give you something, you don't feel comfortable about it, don't do it. Speak to somebody about it. If somebody is doing it, you know, your friends do it, try to urge them out of it, speak to somebody else. Always speak out. Don't ever keep quiet about it.”
'Don't go down the wrong path'
Williams challenged the young people who participated in the march to motivate themselves every day, to embrace their true selves, and to be responsible for their friends as well. “If you see a friend going down the wrong path, talk to them or find someone who can help get through to them. Don’t ever be quiet. Never feel like your voice doesn’t matter. Speak up.”
The young artist also called on parents to listen to their children, stating, “cause sometimes they'll be telling you stuff and you won’t want to hear, you'll never have the time. Take time off for your kids. Make sure that you know what your kids are doing. Where they are going, and whom they are dealing with. You have the opportunity to mould these kids into something great. Take time out for them, speak to them, and love them, and it's all love.”
Also giving remarks at the march were Minister for Education, Youth Affairs and Sports Hon Sharie B. deCastro (AL) and Detective Inspector Kendolph A. Bobb of the Family and Juvenile Unit in the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force (RVIPF).
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19 Responses to “'I was in the hospital flatlining'; J'versatile calls on youth to stay away from drugs ”
From edibles??? WEED? WEED ALONE? be for real... SDA need march against molestation that what them need do... walking bout a plant the creator put here with so much medicinal purposes... strupsssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
the school running rampant with weed,edibles,sex, drugs , rum , weapons etc and your main concern is nothing wrong with weed. thats why most of our youths in the situation them ain adults/parents like you who accept drugs as normal things for minors.
so when the news break out sometime last year about grown men selling sex drugs to primary school kids i guess that is fine?
when students end up hospital on drips cuz them take "edibles" from some guy or other student who made it come in the home and put whatever extra unknown ingredients to get them hook or pack punch is okay?
when that student who almost jump over from the 3rd floor after being caught with rum/drugs is fine right?
the predators in this territory is another issue but dont ignore one and look at the other.
long time we need a sex offender list and yall will be shock who you trust you kids with sending to school. from teachers to counsellors to taxi men to coaches , politicians , businessmen etc
Not saying we shouldn't bring awareness to the potential effects of marijuana use, but it's WAY down on the list of things we should be focusing on.
What makes this especially important is that our kids are not all being affected equally. In 2021, marijuana use among Black teens was about 20%, compared with roughly 15% for White teens and 5% for Asian teens. At the same time, Asian students lead in graduation rates and STEM (Science Technology Enginerring and Maths )achievement from universities, while Black students continue to face the greatest educational challenges. This is not coincidence but correlation
I say this as someone who supports decriminalization. Adults should be free to make their own choices. But let's be honest about the risks to developing brains as you pointed out , especially when today's marijuana is far more potent than it was 15 years ago. This march had the right message: encourage kids to wait until adulthood—ideally around age 25, when brain development is largely complete—before making that choice.
festival soon come up so the youths will be running wild again with under age drinking and smoking all over the ground cuz the adults in bvi think this is okay and normal. but yet last year during road town tramp a minor was rushed to the hospital due to alcohol poisoning but carry on. i guess lost of life will be the stopping point
so please dont be shock again with another primary school student get caught with weed in them school bag. imagine thinking a primary school grade 2 students is fine to smoke weed cuz nothing wrong with it. weed is the start the rest substance abuse will follow....
With the amount of information that is readily available online about this subject, I'm astounded that so many people remain this misinformed. Please educate yourselves before spreading misinformation.