Drugs, Politics & History

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.

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