Seventy per cent of patients at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro in Abeokuta, Ogun State, are drug addicts, Dr Paul Agboola, provost of the facility, has said.
Agboola made this known to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abeokuta, the state capital.
He, however, said that the menace of drug abuse was fast becoming a pandemic not only in Nigeria but throughout the world.
“I can tell you that over 70 per cent of our patients, apart from the fact that they have primary health problems, also have additional drug abuse or addiction problems with it.
“Drug abuse is an epidemic proportion, just like the case of COVID-19 infection. Drug abuse among our youths is a very alarming situation, not only in this country but all over the world and that’s why we say it’s a pandemic.
“Some youths that are taking this thing may not even know that it is cannabis. We have cases of modern technology where cannabis has been made into cake or sweets forms and youths unknowingly take these things which are served at parties,” Agboola said.
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According to him, to check the alarming rate at which youths abuse drugs, especially cannabis, popularly known as weed, all hands must be on the deck.
Agboola identified peer pressure, social media fantasies and increase in modern technology as some of the factors responsible for the increased rate.
The provost urged parents to be wary of the movements of their children and wards while taking their upbringing seriously.
He stressed the need for the government to review the nation’s laws as they affect mental health and drug abuse.
“Fortunately, the National Assembly has reviewed the Mental Health Bill and we are only waiting for President Muhammadu Buhari’s assent.
“Then, we can have a robust programme that is meant to control the spread of drug abuse and also treat other medical conditions that come with drug addiction,” he said.
Agboola said the hospital, on its part, was constructing two more wards in addition to the two existing ones, to accommodate patients with drug addiction problems.
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70% of patients at Aro Neuropsychiatric Hospital are drug addicts, says Provost
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