HELPING THOSE ADDICTED TO DRUGS

All the critical stakeholders should do more to stem the drug menace

As drug abuse and illicit trafficking become more prevalent in the country, today’s ceremony is important, even when many may not pay attention in Nigeria. In 1987, the International Conference on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking recommended a day to observe the importance of the battle against drugs. They chose June 26 as the date to commemorate the dismantling of the opium trade in Guangdong in 1839. Some of the measures recommended by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to mark this year’s occasion include educating children and other young people about the dangers of drugs, donating to an organization that raises awareness of addiction and reaching out to people within our community who are affected by drug addiction.

As countries all over the world mark the 2024 International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, stakeholders in Nigeria must pay more attention to the consequences of ignoring this menace. Hard drugs, ranging from cannabis – often called Indian Hemp – to cocaine, heroin and amphetamines–are increasingly available on the street and abused by both the young and the old across the country. These are drugs that affect behaviour, mood, thoughts, and perception. Their abuse has also become a serious health challenge for the country. We therefore appeal to our regulatory authorities to help in tackling this menace that has implications both for national security and the health of our people.   

Not too long ago, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) as well as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) called for the strengthening of legislations and an aggressive public education in the war against illicit drugs in the country. The World Health Organization (WHO) has also repeatedly warned that the growing abuse of Tramadol by many of our young people may lead to intoxication like other opioid analgesics with the consequence of the breakdown of central nervous system (CNS), depression, coma, cardiovascular collapse, seizures, and respiratory depression up to a respiratory arrest.     

Hard drugs are essentially poisonous and cause serious problems for the user and the society at large. Statistics are hard to come by but there is a correlation between the abuse of drugs and organised crime. Indeed, many of the audacious crimes including vicious robberies and murders, raiding of banks, prisons, churches and kidnappings, are said to be aided by drugs. Many homes, families, relationships and careers have been shattered by those who find it difficult to wean themselves of the stuff.  

 Nigeria is one of the largest growers of cannabis in the West African sub-region. And because the weed is grown locally, it is easily available, cheap and therefore the most abused of the illegal drugs in the country. Hitherto, it used to be smoked in dark street corners and hide-outs. Not any more as the habit seems to be spreading, particularly among the youths who openly wrap the substance, sometimes called “pot” and puff away, anywhere – at car wash spots, at parks, on the street, to get “stoned” and sometimes with even law enforcement agents looking away. 

Tackling the problem is a task for everyone. The Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) must be diligent in regulatory compliance while the Nigeria Customs Service (NSC) that is obsessed with generating revenue should be more proactive in checkmating the activities of importers of these drugs into the country. There is also a need to review our value system, particularly at home and in schools. Parents have the obligation to discreetly vet the kind of company their children keep as a safeguard from being introduced to drugs and crimes. Over and above all, prevention remains the best cure.