DRUG ABUSE AND THE IMPLICATION TO THE YOUTH IN NIGERIA
(PART 1)
Youths are the most venerable and deeply involve group in the social menace of drugs abuse. However, drugs abuse among the youths has dominated discussion in the mainstream media recently. The menace of drugs abuse in Nigeria has reached a frightening proportion and it pervaded every fibre in the society.
It is a popularly held belief that the youths of any nation are the leaders of tomorrow. They are the vehicles through which positive changes can be realized. This is why many tend to invest on the future development of its youths. Governments, parents, and guardians devote a lot of time and resources in order to explore and harness the potentialities of youth.
Therefore, societies that neglect the youth development may negatively affect future national development. Youth when neglected, can find escape and solace in such things as drug abuse, pick-pocketing, loitering, rape, auto-theft, truancy, delinquent or criminal act and insurgency
Youth as defined by the National Youth Policy is any individual who is a citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, between the ages of 18-35. This age group occupies the transition between childhood and adulthood exhibiting attributes of childhood dependence and independence of adulthood the hope and aspiration of any society lie on the caliber of youth in that society if we take an examining look at the youth, in Nigeria, we will be able to conclude that youths generally are of categories; the upright youth, the corrupt youth and the confused youth.
The second and third types of youth are the one that I will be discussing about because they are not productive and they are the type that always fought against the Constituted Authorities.
As a result of this more Nigerian youths are becoming drug addicts, while Nigeria gradually graduates from a drug consuming nation to a drug producing one.
Williams, (2016) maintained that, over 6 million bottles of codeine are sold on a daily basis in the North-West part of the country. National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) report of 2012 also shows that over 15% of people in the North-West zone use drugs. He also said due to the rise in drug addiction.
Young people make use of cough syrups to make themselves high. We have had few newspaper reports where people kill owners of pharmacy shops or chemists because they refused to sell codeine to them. A doctor said younger people abuse prescription drugs almost much more than what is referred to as illicit drugs. He disclosed that majority of patients who visit their facility are those who use combination of substances. We dont have people that use single substance; some take cocaine, heroin, codeine, cannabis and alcohol at the same time.
A drug is a chemical substance that has known biological effects on humans or other animals. In pharmacology, a drug is "a chemical substance used in the treatment, cure, prevention, or diagnosis of disease or used to otherwise enhance physical or mental well-being.
Drug abuse implies the use of a given drug in excessive dose levels, over an unjustified long period of time, or outside therapeutic indications.
Drug abuse, also called substance abuse or chemical abuse, is a disorder that is characterized by a destructive pattern of using a substance that leads to significant problems or distress. Teens are increasingly engaging in prescription drug abuse, particularly narcotics (which are prescribed to relieve severe pain), and stimulant medications, which treat conditions like attention deficit disorder and narcolepsy.
Types of drugs commonly abused by youths:
Alcohol: This is a colorless volatile flammable liquid which is produced by the natural fermentation of sugars. Example of alcohol, beer, stout, ogogoro, Burukutu, aspetesi, pito, palm wine, sapele water, kai kai they all contain alcohol.
Cocaine: A drug that tends to stimulate the nervous system, cocaine can be snorted in powder form, smoked when
in the form of rocks ("crack" cocaine), or injected when made into a liquid.
Nicotine: The addictive substance found in cigarettes, nicotine is actually one of the most addictive substances that exist.
Phencyclidine: this drug can cause the user to feel extremely paranoid, become quite aggressive and to have an unusual amount of physical strength.
Sedative, hypnotic, or ant anxiety drugs: As these substances quell or depress the nervous system, they can cause death by respiratory arrest of the person who either uses these drugs in overdose or who mixes one or more of these drugs with another nervous system depressant drug (like alcohol, another sedative drug, or an opiate).
To be continued........
Compile by:
Arewa Oladipupo Abiodun
09023668150
(PART 1)
Youths are the most venerable and deeply involve group in the social menace of drugs abuse. However, drugs abuse among the youths has dominated discussion in the mainstream media recently. The menace of drugs abuse in Nigeria has reached a frightening proportion and it pervaded every fibre in the society.
It is a popularly held belief that the youths of any nation are the leaders of tomorrow. They are the vehicles through which positive changes can be realized. This is why many tend to invest on the future development of its youths. Governments, parents, and guardians devote a lot of time and resources in order to explore and harness the potentialities of youth.
Therefore, societies that neglect the youth development may negatively affect future national development. Youth when neglected, can find escape and solace in such things as drug abuse, pick-pocketing, loitering, rape, auto-theft, truancy, delinquent or criminal act and insurgency
Youth as defined by the National Youth Policy is any individual who is a citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, between the ages of 18-35. This age group occupies the transition between childhood and adulthood exhibiting attributes of childhood dependence and independence of adulthood the hope and aspiration of any society lie on the caliber of youth in that society if we take an examining look at the youth, in Nigeria, we will be able to conclude that youths generally are of categories; the upright youth, the corrupt youth and the confused youth.
The second and third types of youth are the one that I will be discussing about because they are not productive and they are the type that always fought against the Constituted Authorities.
As a result of this more Nigerian youths are becoming drug addicts, while Nigeria gradually graduates from a drug consuming nation to a drug producing one.
Williams, (2016) maintained that, over 6 million bottles of codeine are sold on a daily basis in the North-West part of the country. National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) report of 2012 also shows that over 15% of people in the North-West zone use drugs. He also said due to the rise in drug addiction.
Young people make use of cough syrups to make themselves high. We have had few newspaper reports where people kill owners of pharmacy shops or chemists because they refused to sell codeine to them. A doctor said younger people abuse prescription drugs almost much more than what is referred to as illicit drugs. He disclosed that majority of patients who visit their facility are those who use combination of substances. We dont have people that use single substance; some take cocaine, heroin, codeine, cannabis and alcohol at the same time.
A drug is a chemical substance that has known biological effects on humans or other animals. In pharmacology, a drug is "a chemical substance used in the treatment, cure, prevention, or diagnosis of disease or used to otherwise enhance physical or mental well-being.
Drug abuse implies the use of a given drug in excessive dose levels, over an unjustified long period of time, or outside therapeutic indications.
Drug abuse, also called substance abuse or chemical abuse, is a disorder that is characterized by a destructive pattern of using a substance that leads to significant problems or distress. Teens are increasingly engaging in prescription drug abuse, particularly narcotics (which are prescribed to relieve severe pain), and stimulant medications, which treat conditions like attention deficit disorder and narcolepsy.
Types of drugs commonly abused by youths:
Alcohol: This is a colorless volatile flammable liquid which is produced by the natural fermentation of sugars. Example of alcohol, beer, stout, ogogoro, Burukutu, aspetesi, pito, palm wine, sapele water, kai kai they all contain alcohol.
Cocaine: A drug that tends to stimulate the nervous system, cocaine can be snorted in powder form, smoked when
Nicotine: The addictive substance found in cigarettes, nicotine is actually one of the most addictive substances that exist.
Phencyclidine: this drug can cause the user to feel extremely paranoid, become quite aggressive and to have an unusual amount of physical strength.
Sedative, hypnotic, or ant anxiety drugs: As these substances quell or depress the nervous system, they can cause death by respiratory arrest of the person who either uses these drugs in overdose or who mixes one or more of these drugs with another nervous system depressant drug (like alcohol, another sedative drug, or an opiate).
To be continued........
Compile by:
Arewa Oladipupo Abiodun
09023668150
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