by Stepney Emeh
edited by Juwah C. Awele
Welcome
to the first of a series of discussions on a range of topics I feel is
currently affecting and shaping our existence in what I like to call “today’s Nigeria” and I would like to
discuss with the youth, yes that may include you.
For
starters, I would like to talk about the current endemic use of drugs that has
swept the young people in and of this country. This particular topic is very
important to me for the mere fact that I am a health professional and have
seen, first hand, the effect of drug abuse and even medication consumed in very
high quantities.
From
my research and experiences, I will give you a very simplified classification
of the type of drugs currently in circulation in Nigeria and which I believe
can be put into two groups:
HARD
drugs, group one (1), examples of which include heroin, cocaine, amphetamine,
ecstasy, GHB, and alcohol;
SOFT
drugs, group two (2), examples of which include cannabis (hash and marijuana
are gotten from this) and valium.
When
you talk to a generous number of youth in an attempt to find out why they use
these drugs, hard or soft, you come to realise that a majority of these young
people began substance abuse as a result of peer pressure. Another sizeable
number say they started using drugs because a parent or older person at home
was a consumer and still some others might site medical reasons such as
marijuana for severe headaches, as an anticonvulsant or to help with glaucoma.
The topic of drug abuse seems to have re-emerged
in current discourse because there seems to be an increase in drug related
deaths in today’s Nigeria, which begs the following questions.
· Why
do we glorify the use of drugs?
· Why
is excessive smoking and drinking currently the new ‘cool’?
· Why
is there a surge in the consumption of drugs?; and
· Why
are the real medical implications of these drugs not being publicised to the
youth?
I
believe a single response that cuts across these questions is that perceptions
are disconnected from reality. The perception that the drugs are just for
recreation or that drugs help the users escape daily life struggles are
disconnected from the reality that the use of these drugs is slowly, but
surely, sucking life out of our youth, the reality of the medical
complications.
Before
attempting to solve a problem, you must have acknowledged that a problem
exists, you must agree that there is one. I may not pull out all the possible
facts and figures to convince you but from my experience in the field, I can
tell you that there is one and if you are not in a position to see it now, then
know that if nothing is done about the current trend then it may soon be clear
for you to also see.
We proceed to possible solutions.
The
first step is sensitization. We need to let young people know the hazards of
snorting powders, smoking combinations and injecting cocktails and this starts
from home. It may be a sibling, neighbour, friend, cousin or spouse, advising
them, showing them or telling them the adverse effect of these substances.
Whoever it is, the message may go a long way in reducing abuse.
The
second step is sensitization phase-II. This time led by the community,
government and/or corporate bodies., advertisements that will act as
reinforcements to the home-based messages need to be put in place through
various media platforms – print (newspapers to billboards), audio and visual –
to engage and educate our youth. The conversation on substance abuse needs to
be driven aggressively by all and considered critically.
The
third step is control. How does the government reduce the availability of or at
least strictly supervise the use of drugs? We clearly can see that declaring drugs 'illegal' isn't working. The main
issue here has been reported on several fronts as the lack of financing for our
anti-drug agencies. The NDLEA, NAFDAC and the other outfits need to be
adequately funded and personnel of these agencies need to be trained and re-trained
to give them the required skills to tackle this new high. The current laws need to be implemented to the letter and a
nationwide crack down on drug peddlers needs to be carried out.
The
fourth step is adequate rehabilitation. Ideally every teaching hospital should
have a well-equipped rehabilitation centre for drug addicts undergoing
treatment. Also private individuals should be encouraged to help in building
rehabilitation centres. Rehabilitation is important because there is a need to
reintegrate people who have fallen prey to addiction into the un-addicted
world.
Let
us not pretend that this issue does not exist because it is very real. It is an
issue that is eating into our youth and you might well know that the Nigerian
youth constitute a greater percentage of the general population and are a great
potential labour force. A sub-productive younger generation means lower
productivity in the nation which in turn means decreased economic viability and
possible disaster for the future.
These
are just my thoughts and I felt I should share them.