AS a little boy, I grew up in a community where children were allowed to dream big and act like the professionals they would love to become when they grow up. But in Nigerian communities today, such dreams are now a mirage. In recent years, we witnessed all over Nigeria an outbreak of drug abuse among children and young people that led to the emergence of cult groups and gangs in primary and secondary schools. The results have been an increase in the rate of violence among young people, mental illness and school dropouts. According to the World Drug Report of 2023, the estimated number of drug users grew from 240 million in 2011 to 296 million in 2021. This report also stated that opioids is the main drug that impacts the global burden of disease whereas cannabis is reported as the drug of most concern for drug use disorders. The global population average for drug use is 15-64. In Nigeria, 17.6 million people are said to be drug users with over three million of them suffering from a drug use disorder. While infectious diseases, sexual and reproductive health alongside maternal mortality command global attention, drug abuse remains in the shadows even with its known contribution to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema, lung cancer, bronchitis, HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis B and C, anxiety, depression and psychosis.
The drug use crisis has a unique way of affecting the very fabric of any society. It affects children, teenagers, families and communities. Yet, it is frequently underestimated, underreported and underfunded. What makes the statistics stated above frightening is the fact that young people are using more drugs, with use levels today that is higher than with previous generations. In developing countries, the impact of drug abuse on young people is at an alarming rate because of limited or no access to quality education, economic opportunities and mental health resources. Young people in these countries begin to experiment with drugs as a way of escaping the harsh realities that confronts them daily.
Drug abuse can be said to be the only known health problem that goes beyond straining healthcare systems to tasking law enforcement agencies and accompanied by a host of secondary issues like crime and mental health problems. Drug abuse is a complex issue and addressing it requires both a comprehensive and compassionate approach. But it is will be difficult to truly solve any problem if its root causes are overlooked. Understanding why drug abuse happens is key to addressing it. There is sufficient research that points to poverty, lack of education, media and broken families as some of the root causes of drug abuse. Ignoring these factors when considering solutions will only worsen the state of things. The next step towards solving this problemis to invest in prevention. Nations across the world have spent billions in drug law enforcement without paying attention to prevention and treatment. This has negatively impaired our overall progress in enhancing drug-free communities across the globe. Prevention must be pursued with as much vigour as it is done with drug law enforcement. Prevention starts with education and awareness. Accurate and adequate knowledge remains a powerful tool for drug abuse prevention. Drug law agencies must recognise that drug prevention is not an attaché to their main duties; it is a vital component of their duties.
There is a need for comprehensive national, regional and state-based policies for drug abuse prevention that takes into consideration the peculiar needs of each region. The implementation of these policies must be properly funded. Early introduction of drug prevention programmes will greatly impact our outcomes. Schools should integrate evidence-based drug prevention programmes into their curriculum. Children,alongside teenagers, should be taught life, social and vocational skills that will help them deal with everyday-life challenges without having to turn to drugs for relief. Negative peer pressure, low self-esteem, curiosity and broken families are the leading causes of drug abuse among young people. Teaching young people life skills, for instance, will mean empowering them to successfully navigate these risk factors without having to engage in self-destructive behaviours like doing drugs. Empowering communities to take the lead in drug abuse prevention will contribute to our success. Local initiatives familiar with the peculiarities of the community should work towards creating a supportive environment for people who struggle with drug abuse. The role of these initiatives should be to implement community-based rehabilitation programmes, educational campaigns and creating support groups where the recovering and struggling can seek help. This will help to destigmatise addiction and increase the successes of recovery treatment.
The importance of adequate funding in promoting drug-free communities across the globe cannot be overemphasised. The lack of adequate funding for drug use prevention initiatives is perpetuating our continuous struggle with this problem, especially in Africa. It appears that in some countries, the issue of drug use prevention has been totally abandoned to non-profit organisations. These non-profits fundraise themselves, work hard to seek collaboration and, sometimes, permission from government agencies in order to deliver their interventions. Global funding opportunities for drug use prevention are scarce and when they are available, the barriers to accessing such funds are numerous, especially for community-based or youth-ledorganisations that are at the forefront of this issue.
Sometimes, to get funding from global donors,non-profit organisations working in drug use prevention would have to build their proposals around another issue and introduce drug use prevention as part of the project activity because if it presented as a lone issue, their chances of accessing that funding is greatly reduced.
Funding organisations must increase their support for drug abuse prevention projects and support community-based organisations working in drug-prone areas. The barriers to such funding should be removed to enable funding get to those who truly needs it.Achieving the sustainable development goal of good health and wellbeing is not possible if we don’t achieve drug use prevention. Drug use is not less of a health problem!
- Bisong, a drug abuse prevention specialist, is Executive Director, Busaosowo Foundation
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