expository essay on drug abuse in nigeria

An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

• Publications
• Account settings

Preview improvements coming to the PMC website in October 2024. Learn More or Try it out now .

• Advanced Search
• Journal List
• Public Health Rev

The Burden of Drug Abuse in Nigeria: A Scoping Review of Epidemiological Studies and Drug Laws

Abubakar ibrahim jatau.

1 School of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia

Abubakar Sha’aban

2 School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia

3 Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria

Kabiru Abubakar Gulma

4 School of Global Health and Bioethics, Euclid University, The Gambia

Zayyanu Shitu

5 Hospital Services Management Board, Ministry of health, Gusau, Nigeria

Garba Mohammed Khalid

6 Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Università Degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy

Abubakar Isa

7 Malaria Consortium Nigeria, Dutse, Nigeria

Abubakar S. Wada

8 Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Bayero University Kano, Kano, Nigeria

Mohammed Mustapha

Background: The burden of drug abuse is becoming a public health concern in Nigeria. Preventive measures should include identifying the root causes of the burden for targeted intervention. We, therefore, aim to conduct a scoping review of the literature to summarize the findings of epidemiological studies on drug abuse and provisions of drug laws in Nigeria. The review also provides appropriate recommendations as interventions for prevention.

Methods: We conducted a systematic search of the literature on PubMed to identify information on drug abuse and drug laws in Nigeria from the inception of the database to March 2020. Additional information was retrieved from Google Scholar, a manual search of included articles, discussion with experts on the subject matter, and gray literature. Study selection was performed using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statements. Information from gray literature was assessed for quality and accuracy using the AACODS checklist (authority, accuracy, coverage, objectively, date, significance).

Results: The systematic search of the literature generated 253 studies. Nine articles were obtained from other sources. After the selection process, 23 eligible studies were included for review. A prevalence of 20–40% and 20.9% of drug abuse was reported among students and youths, respectively. Commonly abused drugs include cannabis, cocaine, amphetamine, heroin, diazepam, codeine, cough syrup and tramadol. Sources where abusers obtained drugs, were pharmacies/patent medicine shops, open drug markets, drug hawkers, fellow drug abusers, friends, and drug pushers. Drug abuse was common among undergraduates and secondary school students, youths, commercial bus drivers, farmers, and sex workers. Reason for use included to increase physical performance, stress and to derive pleasure. Poor socioeconomic factors and low educational background were the common risk factors associated with drug abuse. We identified several drug laws and policies that were established under government agencies such as the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), National Agency for Foods and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) and a Presidential Advisory Committee.

Conclusion: Findings from epidemiological studies on drug abuse in Nigeria has demonstrated that the burden of drug abuse is still high despite the existing drug laws, policies, and strategies for prevention. Measures to reduce the burden should involve the community, government, and religious bodies. Preventive measures should target the youths, the students, identified sources of the drugs, reasons and risk factors associated with drug abuse in Nigeria.

Introduction

Drug abuse is emerging as a global public health issue. The recent world drug report-2019 of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimated that 271 million (5.5%) of the global population (aged between 15 and 64 years), had used drugs in the previous year [ 1 ]. Also, it has been projected that 35 million individuals will be experiencing drug use disorders [ 1 ]. Further, the Global Burden of disease Study 2017 estimated that, in 2017, there were 585,000 deaths due to drug use, globally [ 1 ]. The burden of drug abuse (usage, abuse, and trafficking) has also been related to the four areas of international concern, viz. organized crime, illicit financial flows, corruption, and terrorism/insurgency [ 2 ]. Therefore, global interventions for preventing drug abuse including its impact on health, governance, and security, requires a widespread understanding of the prevalence, frequently implicated drugs, commonly involved population, sources of the drugs and risk factors associated with the drug abuse.

In Nigeria, the burden of drug abuse is on the rise and becoming a public health concern. Nigeria, which is the most populous country in Africa, has developed a reputation as a center for drug trafficking and usage mostly among the youth population [ 5 , 6 ]. According to the 2018 UNODC report “Drug use in Nigeria”—The first large-scale, nationwide national drug use survey in Nigeria, one in seven persons (aged 15–64 years) had used a drug in the past year [ 3 ]. Also, one in five individuals who had used drug in the past year is suffering from drug-related disorders [ 3 ]. Drug abuse has been a cause of many criminal offences such as theft, burglary, sex work, and shoplifting [ 3 ].

Nigeria is an enormously diverse country with over 400 ethnicities and many religious groups [ 9 ]. Drug abuse is therefore viewed within a broader context in Nigeria, due to its multicultural nature. For instance, most societies do not consider the use of some drugs which do not produce overt behavioral changes as drug abuse. However, despite this multicultural nature of the Nigerian population, there is a consistent outcry from both the public, police, preachers, health professionals, teachers, regulatory agencies and parents on the growing burden of drug abuse (abuse of drugs which affect behavior) in the country. The recent call was that of the President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria [ 4 ].

Efforts to prevent the growing burden of drug abuse in Nigeria involve the identification of evidence-based information on the extent of the problem, from epidemiological studies. To date, most of the information on drug abuse in Nigeria is reported by the media (print, electronic and online). However, scientific evidence from epidemiological studies has started emerging in recent years. Although there were attempts in the past to summarize such studies in the form of a narrative review, such reviews were limited with lack of systematic search of the literature. Also, such studies were published in 1982 [ 5 ], 1991 [ 6 ], and 1992 [ 7 ]. There is, therefore, a need for recent summarized data on drug abuse in Nigeria. We, therefore, aim to conduct a scoping review of the literature to summarize the findings of epidemiological studies on drug abuse and provisions of drug laws in Nigeria. In this review, we attempt to summarize the results from various studies regarding the prevalence of drug abuse, commonly abused drugs, sources of the drugs, group of people frequently involved, the reason for drug abuse, risk factors, extant policies and laws, and to recommend intervention measures for prevention.

Literature Search

In the literature search, we have not restricted our sources of information to any specific period. A systematic search of the literature regarding drug abuse in Nigeria was conducted using PubMed from the inception of the database to March 13, 2020. A search strategy using the following terms both as medical sub-heading (MeSH) and free text as title and abstract (tiab) was developed. The search terms used included: “abuse drug” [MeSH], “abuse drug” [tiab], “illicit drug use” [tiab], “drug, illicit” [MeSH], “psychoactive drugs” [MeSH], Nigeria [tiab]. Relevant studies were also identified manually from the reference lists of the included articles and discussion with experts on the subject matter. Additional information was also retrieved from Google Scholar using the following search expression “Drug abuse, illicit drug abuse, psychotropic abuse in Nigeria.” Based on previous recommendations, only the first 200 search results from the Google scholar search were considered for inclusion [ 8 ]. The search strategies employed in the systematic search of the literature in PubMed and Google Scholar is provided in Appendix 1 . Due to limited research on drug abuse in Nigeria, gray literature related to drug abuse in Nigeria were identified in Google search, web pages of drug regulatory agencies in Nigeria, and the UNODC. Information from gray literature was evaluated for trustworthiness and relevance based on AACODS (Authority, Accuracy, Coverage, Date, Significance) checklist [ 9 ].

Study Selection

Studies or reports were included in this review based on the following criteria: reporting prevalence/incidence of drug abuse in Nigeria; conducted among different populations in the community, government policies and interventions on drug abuse; and drug laws in Nigeria. Studies or reports were excluded from this review if they focused on alcohol abuse only. Disagreements between authors regarding study selection were resolved through discussion until consensus was reached. Figure 1 demonstrates the study selection process.

PRISMA Flowchart for the study selection process.

Data Extraction

Information extracted from the included studies included: study authors, population/sample size, settings, prevalence, commonly abused drugs, sources, reasons, and factors associated with the drug abuse.

Operational Definition

There was no universal definition of the term “Drug abuse” in the literature. In this review, the definition of drug abuse by Benjamin and Chidi (2014) was adopted and modified [ 10 ]. “the use of a drug that is not generally accepted on medical ground, i.e. continuous or occasional use of drugs that would cause overt behavioral change by the individual either of his own choice or under a feeling of compulsion, to achieve his wellbeing or what he conceives as of his own wellbeing” [ 10 ].

Results and Discussion

The initial search PubMed and Google Scholar generated 53 articles and 200 records, respectively. One study was identified following discussion with an expert, two from a manual search of included studies and six articles from Google search. The screening for duplicates excluded twenty-two articles. One hundred and forty-eight articles were removed after screening for title and abstracts, and 62 studies did not meet the eligibility criteria and were excluded. A total of 30 studies were included in this review; 23 epidemiological studies [ 3 , 11 – 21 , 23 – 32 ], one thesis inclusive [ 22 ], five reports from the websites of drug-related agencies [ 38 , 41 , 43 , 44 ] and UNODC [ 2 ], and two articles from newspapers[ 40 , 45 ]. Figure 1 illustrates the study selection process.

Nine of the included epidemiological studies were conducted among secondary school students [ 12 , 16 , 21 – 24 , 27 , 30 , 31 ], five among drug abusers [ 15 , 18 , 25 , 29 , 32 ], four among undergraduate students [ 17 , 20 , 26 , 28 ], three among members of different populations in the community [ 3 , 11 , 14 ], two among commercial vehicle drivers [ 13 , 19 ]. Table 1 shows the characteristics of the included studies.

Summary of the included epidemiological studies.

FCT, Federal Capital Territory; LSD, Lysergic acid diethylamide; NR, Percentage not reported in the study.

Prevalence of Drug Abuse in Nigeria

Of the 23 epidemiological studies, only seven reported an overall prevalence of drug abuse among the study sample [ 3 , 11 - 13 , 21 , 22 , 27 ]. Given the heterogenic nature of the studies, determination of the pool prevalence of drug abuse in Nigeria may not be possible. Four of the studies were conducted among secondary school students and reported a prevalence between 20 and 40% [ 12 , 21 , 22 , 27 ]. A prevalence of 14.4% was reported among members of the general public (all ages), 20.9% among youths in the community [ 11 ], and 81.1% among commercial bus drivers [ 13 ].

Commonly Abused Drugs in Nigeria

The most frequently implicated drugs, consistently reported by the majority of the studies were; cannabis [ 3 , 12 , 14 , 16 - 19 , 21 , 22 , 24 - 31 ], codeine [ 3 , 12 , 14 , 15 , 17 , 24 , 25 , 28 ], amphetamine/dexamphetamine [ 3 , 14 - 17 , 21 , 22 , 24 , 25 , 27 , 29 , 32 ], heroin [ 3 , 14 , 16 – 18 , 21 , 22 , 26 , 27 ], cocaine [ 12 , 14 , 15 , 17 , 18 , 21 , 22 , 25 ], diazepam [ 26 , 27 , 30 – 32 ], and cough syrup [ 3 , 14 – 16 ], Reactivan (fencamfamine) [ 16 , 31 ], Mandrax [ 27 , 29 – 31 ], and tramadol [ 3 , 11 , 13 ].

Some drugs were frequently reported by studies published in the early 80s [ 29 – 32 ]. Proplus (caffeine 50 mg) was reported by three papers published in 1982 [ 30 – 32 ], and Madrax (Methadone and diphenhydramine) in studies published between 1981 and 2011 [ 27 , 29 – 31 ]. The absence of these drugs in recent studies may be related to the decline in their availability in Nigeria.

Cannabis was the most abused drug reported across the different study populations. The prevalence of cannabis abuse among members of the general public was 10.8% [ 3 ] and 22.7% among adolescents of 25 years and younger [ 14 ]. The frequency of abuse among secondary school students was between 0.6 and 34%, with a pooled prevalence of 12.5% [ 12 , 16 , 21 , 22 , 24 , 31 ]. The abuse of cannabis among undergraduate students was also common, with a prevalence of 8–11% [ 17 , 26 , 28 ].

The frequency of cocaine abuse ranges from 1.6 to 4.8% among secondary school students [ 12 , 16 , 21 , 22 ], 0.6–10% among undergraduate students [ 26 , 28 , 33 ] and 0.1–0.6% among members of the general public [ 3 , 14 ]. The widespread use of cocaine in Nigeria may be related to easy access due to increased trafficking of drugs despite the existing legal control measures [ 22 , 34 ].

Codeine was the third most frequently reported drug of abuse from the included studies. The prevalence of abuse in the general public (all ages) was 2.4% [ 3 ], and 22.7% among adolescent [ 14 ]. A prevalence of 3–8.2% [ 17 , 28 ], and between 5.3 and 28% [ 12 , 24 ] was recorded among undergraduate students and secondary school students respectively. Table 1 indicates the frequently abused drugs. The high rates of drug abuse among the younger persons could reflect the easy accessibility of these drugs, peer group influence and possibly lack of effective counseling programs in secondary schools and universities.

Sources Where Drug Abusers Obtained Drugs

Identifying the sources where drug abusers obtained drugs is essential in preventing drug abuse in Nigeria. Interventions to block the supply of these drugs from identified sources could reduce the increasing prevalence of drug abuse. Only five studies reported the sources of the drugs being abused. The common sources included: pharmacies/patent medicine shops (23–33%) [ 15 , 25 , 31 , 32 ], open markets (17%) [ 31 ], drug hawkers [ 25 , 32 ], hawkers of traditional herbal preparations [ 25 ], fellow drug abusers (8%) [ 15 ], underground agents (57%) [ 31 ], family members (1.6–33%) [ 22 , 27 , 31 ], friends (up to 61%) [ 22 , 27 ], teachers (3%) [ 22 , 27 ], physician (8.3%) [ 22 ], other health practitioners (3.0%) [ 22 ].

Reasons for Drug Abuse in Nigeria

Determination of the reasons why people indulged in drug abuse may guide the development and implementation of targeted interventions for reducing the burden of drug abuse in Nigeria. The eleven studies that reported the reasons for drug abuse gave several reasons. The commonly reported reasons included the following: to increase physical performance [ 11 , 13 , 14 , 17 , 19 , 30 , 32 ], to drive pleasure [ 13 , 14 , 17 , 27 , 30 ], desire to relax/sleep [ 13 , 14 , 17 , 27 , 30 ], experiment/curiosity [ 15 , 19 , 26 , 30 , 31 ], to keep awake [ 19 , 25 , 27 , 30 , 32 ], to relieve stress [ 13 , 14 , 17 ], to relieve anxiety [ 13 , 15 , 27 ], unemployment [ 14 , 17 ], frustration [ 14 , 15 ], and easy access [ 16 , 25 ].

Exterior or curiosity motives, often in the form of extreme explorative curiosity to experience ‘the unknown’ about drugs, motivate individuals into drug use and subsequent drug misuse and abuse. The first experience in drug abuse produces a state of arousal in the form of extreme happiness and pleasure, which in turn motivates users to continue [ 34 ]. With the high poverty rate of about 50% of people living in extreme poverty in Nigeria [ 35 ], and the rising rate of unemployment (23.1%) [ 36 ], indicate how challenging the socioeconomic condition could be for many Nigerians. These conditions could predispose people to engage in drug abuse to work harder to earn a living or to ward off the stress and frustration of daily living in hardship.

Risk Factors Associated With Drug Abuse

Nineteen of the included studies examined factors that could raise people’s likelihood of drug abuse [ 3 , 11 – 23 , 25 , 27 – 32 ]. Among the frequently reported factors included being a male gender [ 3 , 12 , 13 , 15 , 16 , 18 - 20 , 22 , 23 , 25 , 27 , 28 , 32 ], younger age [ 3 , 15 , 17 , 27 , 29 , 32 ], poor economic status [ 13 , 14 , 25 , 28 ], unemployment [ 14 , 18 , 25 ], and parental deprivation (broken home) [ 14 , 15 , 28 , 30 , 31 ], Other factors included having a lower education level [ 13 , 28 , 32 ], and peer-group influence [ 15 , 22 , 23 , 28 , 30 , 31 ].

Younger population aged ≤35 years older was the most common group of people indulged in drug abuse based on the data of the included studies. The prevalence of drug abuse among this population may be the reason why some of the studies were specifically conducted among this group of people in the general population [ 11 , 14 ], undergraduate students [ 17 , 20 , 26 ], and secondary school students [ 12 , 16 , 21 – 24 , 26 , 27 , 30 , 31 ]. Also, studies have shown that over 50% of persons with drug abuse-related psychiatric admission were secondary school students [ 29 , 32 ]. These findings also suggest that the prevalence of drug abuse among secondary school students is high. Young people are the most valuable asset for sustainable social development in any society, but most of this population lacks awareness of substance addiction which would empower them to escape drug abuse. This limitation is demonstrated in a study carried out among secondary school teachers and students in Nigeria [ 37 ]. The study revealed that approximately 60% of students were never exposed to drug abuse education, while 73% of teachers reported that they currently did not teach their students about drug abuse education. This finding could be another reason for the highest prevalence in younger populations, and a crucial gap that could be targeted for interventions.

Determinants of drug abuse also included those related to family background. Individuals from polygamous family backgrounds, dysfunctional families (parental deprivation), being single and having parents or relatives who abuse drugs are more likely than those who are not to abuse drugs [ 14 , 17 , 18 , 28 ]. Since in most cases children from broken families or polygamous families are left alone to feed themselves and their desire to go to school is often not of great concern to family members. Thus, to escape the reality of frustration and family strain, they find themselves entangled in substance abuse habits.

The peer-group influence was a predictor of drug abuse which most studies consistently reported. People with friends who abuse drugs are more likely than those with friends who do not abuse drugs to engage in the act [ 15 , 22 , 23 , 30 , 31 ].

The same author identified religion as a protective determinant of drug abuse in Nigeria in two studies [ 19 , 20 ]. Makanjuola et al. found that undergraduate medical students who are religious are less likely than those who were not to engage in drug abuse [ 20 ]. Further, religious commercial drivers are less probable to engage in drug abuse than those who are not religious [ 19 ]. Commercial drivers in Nigeria constitute an integral part of socioeconomic growth, on which the majority of the public depend for transport. Preventing drug abuse among commercial vehicle operators in Nigeria will, therefore ensure optimum safety for the people.

Psychiatric Admission due to Drug Abuse

Three studies were on psychiatric admission due to drug abuse [ 25 , 29 , 32 ]. The studies were conducted in Kaduna state (northwestern region) in 1986 [ 29 ], Edo state (south southern region) in 1976 [ 32 ], and the other was performed at all psychiatric facilities in Nigeria [ 25 ]. Findings of these studies showed the psychiatric symptoms resulting in admissions included toxic psychosis, anxiety state, schizophrenia, delusion [ 25 , 32 ]. There was no suicide case recorded in all the studies.

Policy and Laws Against Drug Abuse in Nigeria

In Nigeria, the fight against drug abuse is backed by federal laws as far back as 1935. Since then, many laws were enacted, while others were amended leading to the establishment of the National Drug Laws Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) -an agency with the sole responsibility of tackling drug abuse and related offences [ 38 ]. Some of the most important laws against the cultivation, trafficking, and abuse of illicit drugs in Nigeria are as follows [ 38 ]:

• 1 The Dangerous Drugs Ordinance of 1935 enacted by the British Colonial administration.
• 2 The Indian Hemp Decree No. 19 of 1966.
• 3 The Indian Hemp (Amendment) Decree No. 34 of 1979.
• 4 The Indian Hemp (Amendment) Decree, and the Special Tribunal (Miscellaneous Offences) Decree No. 20 of 1984.
• 5 >The Special Tribunal (Miscellaneous Offences) (Amendment) Decree of 1986 and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Decree No. 48 of 1989 (as amended by Decree No.33 of 1990, Decree No 15 of 1992 and Decree No. 62 of 1999). These laws were harmonized as an Act of the parliament, CAP N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN) 2004. This Act established the NDLEA.

Government Efforts in Preventing Drug Abuse in Nigeria

The NDLEA has been launching nationwide enforcement activities to seize drugs of abuse and arrest drug abusers in the community; sensitization program, rehabilitation and border patrol to checkmate trafficking of illicit drugs to and from Nigeria [ 38 ]. The 2019 NDLEA report has shown that in the last 10 years of operations, a total of 56, 745, 795, 555 kg of drugs were seized, 85, 058 persons with drug-related offences were arrested and 16, 937 cases were secured and convicted [ 39 ].

Recently, The Federal government of Nigeria, through Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) -an agency in charge of regulating the practice of pharmacy in Nigeria, banned the operation of open drug markets in Nigeria [ 40 ]. This effort was introduced to sanitize the drug distribution system in the country. The PCN also prohibits the handling of drugs by unlicensed personnel, especially prescription and controlled only drugs [ 41 ].

The National Agency for Foods and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), an agency of the Federal government of Nigeria, banned the manufacturing, importation and sale (without a valid prescription) of codeine and codeine-containing syrups in Nigeria [ 42 ]. In 2018, the agency shut down some pharmaceutical companies involved in the manufacturing of codeine-containing syrups in the country [ 43 ].

Other strategies by the Federal government include the establishment of the National Drug Control Master Plan (NDCMP) [ 44 ]. The NDCMP is a national blueprint for addressing the complex issues of drug trafficking, production, cultivation, and abuse in Nigeria. In 2018, the Federal government constituted a Presidential Advisory Committee for the Elimination of Drug abuse in Nigeria. The committee was saddled with the responsibility of advising the government on ways to reduce the increasing burden of drug abuse in the country [ 45 ]. However, the literature suggests that the burden of drug abuse may continue to rise in Nigeria due to the involvement of politics in law enforcement and lack of political goodwill [ 46 , 47 ].

Gaps Identified in the Included Literature

• 1 Results from the included studies have shown that, despite the existence of Federal drug laws, and national drug policies and strategies, the burden of drug abuse and proliferation of controlled drugs are still on the increase in the country.
• 2 Most of the epidemiological studies were conducted among secondary school students. Only a few studies were performed among the general population to identify other vulnerable groups of people involved in drug abuse.
• 3 Only three studies were conducted on psychiatric admission related to drug abuse. Of the three studies, the most recent was published in 1986.
• 4 Only a few studies reported sources of drugs, reasons for the abuse and risk factors associated with drug abuse. Identifying this information could guide the implementation of interventions.

Recommendations

Reports from the included studies demonstrate that intervention measures to prevent drug abuse in Nigeria should be all-inclusive. The government, society, religious bodies, Non-Governmental Organisations as well as individuals all have a role to play. The efforts are numerous and not exhaustive. Below are some recommendations that might be applied to address the growing epidemic:

• (1)The government should provide more employment opportunities to the youths and review existing drug laws to include stiffer penalties for offenders [ 38 ]. Allocation of funds to drug-related agencies should be increased to better the fight against the abuse of drugs. Enforcement activities should be more effective through strengthening the activities of taskforce at Federal and State governments levels. Nigerian borders should be well protected with surveillance activities by responsible agencies.
• (2)Applying the conceptual model for understanding adverse drug events in the community [ 48 ]. Intervention measures based on Group-focused Cognitive Behavioral Health Education Program (GCBHEP) should be adopted to improve awareness and behavioral change [ 49 ]. Based on the model, other community-based education awareness in the form of mass campaigns through media houses both print and electronic, adverts, flyers, banners, radio jingles, lectures and other programs in religious places and public functions should be created and sustained [ 48 ].
• (3)Secondary school-based programs aimed at encouraging healthy practices and lifestyle among adolescents would help to prevent substance use. There is also a need for periodic review of the curriculum in schools to introduce topics centered on dangers of drug abuse.
• (4)Parents need to educate their children early enough on the risks associated with drug abuse [ 3 , 15 , 17 , 27 , 29 , 32 ]. They should monitor the children closely and know the kinds of friends they are keeping [ 15 , 22 , 23 , 28 , 30 , 31 ].

Limitations

The present review has the following limitations; first, the systematic search of the literature was limited to two electronic databases. This approach may have excluded some eligible studies in the review. Secondly, we have not assessed the qualities of the included studies in this review. We have attempted to summarize their findings within this limitation and hope that readers, would be aware of such shortcomings, and be cautious in drawing conclusions from them.

Findings from the epidemiological studies, reports and drug laws in Nigeria have shown that the burden of drug abuse is growing despite several drug laws, policies and strategic plans to prevent it. The prevalence is higher among the younger population, males, undergraduate and secondary school students, and commercial vehicle drivers. The most abused drugs included cannabis, amphetamine, codeine, cocaine and heroin. The major sources for the drugs were pharmacies/patent medicine stores, drug hawkers, friends who are abusers and drug pushers. The frequent reasons for indulging into drug abuse were to improve physical performance, to drive pleasure, desire to sleep, to experiment/curiosity motives, and to keep awake. Factors such as poor socioeconomic status, peer-group pressure, family problems and poor academic performance were commonly associated with drug abuse in Nigeria. Drug abuse has been a cause of many debilitating conditions such as schizophrenia and psychosis, leading to psychiatric admissions. Therefore, stringent measures and sustainable interventions are urgently needed to curb the increasing burden of drug abuse in Nigeria.

Author Contributions

All authors listed have made a substantial, direct, and intellectual contribution to the work and approved it for publication.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Acknowledgments

The authors will like to thank and appreciate the efforts of: Anas Haruna, Auwal Bala, Baraka Ado, Abubakar Bilyaminu, Sa’idu Burji, Dahiru Malami, Abubakar Danbatta, Abdulmunin Shehu, Hafsat Nasidi, Inuwa Bello, Ismaeel Yunusa, Mubarak Hussain, Safiya Abdulkadir, Sagir Mustapha, and Salim Ilyasu of the Young Pharmacists Scholars (YPS) mentoring forum for the guidance, mentoring, encouragement and support in developing this review.

Search strategies used in the systematic search of the literature

Abbreviations

AACODS, authority, accuracy, coverage, date, significance; FCT, federal capital territory; GCBHEP, group-focused cognitive behavioral health education program; FN, laws of the federation of nigeria; LSD, lysergic acid diethylamide; MeSH, medical sub-heading; NAFDAC, national agency for foods and drugs administration and control; NDCMP, national drug control master plan; NDLEA, national drug law enforcement agency; PCN, pharmacists council of Nigeria; PRISMA, preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses; UNODC, nations office on drugs and crime; YPS, young pharmacists scholars.

RSIS International

About RSIS International

Publication method, join our team, special issue, collections.

Abstract: Drug abuse among youth population is globally identified as a threat to national security, especially in Nigeria. Although Nigeria was initially conceived as a drug-transit nation, regrettably, that conception has changed in recent times. It has profoundly aggravated to become a pose for drug abuse. Despite the counter narcotics efforts by NDLEA and other government agencies, a sizeable amount of youth population in Nigeria still abuse drugs. This study examined drug abuse among Nigerian youths and its implications for national security. The study reveals that the preponderance increase of drugs abuse in Nigeria is a veritable tool for violent crimes, aggression and youth restiveness. Erosion of human capital, unproductivity of youth population, deteriorating health as well as threat to national security were also key factors. The study relies on the analysis of secondary interpretative documents related to youth drug abuse and national security in Nigeria. The study also identified environment, family background, curiosity, enjoyment, parents socio-economic status, peer pressure as well as promotion and availability of drugs as the major contributing factors to the rising trends of drug abuse among youths in Nigeria. Adopting socio-cultural, biological, social-learning and securitization theories, the study concludes by prescribing some ways of curbing the menace arising from drug abuse and recommends for capacity building and strengthening of the NDLEA and other relevant agencies, increased awareness campaigns against drug abuse, educating students at all levels on the negative impact of drug abuse as well as parental involvement in the struggle.

Keywords: Drug Abuse, National Security, Youths

I. INTRODUCTION

Drug abuse is emerging as a global public health issue, with every part of the world having a fair share of this menace. It has been a major threat that cut across almost all spheres of life. It has the capacity to negatively influence social, political, economic, and psychological aspects of peoples’ lives. In recent times, drug use had cut across ages, as it could be found among the young and old. Cultural differences has gotten almost nothing to do with drug abuse, likewise gender hasn’t been a factor as both males and females engage in this anti-social behaviour. The recent world drug report-2021 of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimated that around 275 million people, 5.5 per cent of the population aged between 15 and 64 years, had used drugs in the previous year, while over 36.3 million people or 13 per cent of the total number of persons who use drugs, suffer from drug use disorders. (UNODC, 2021).

An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

• Publications
• Account settings
• My Bibliography
• Collections
• Citation manager

Save citation to file

Email citation, add to collections.

• Create a new collection
• Add to an existing collection

Add to My Bibliography

Your saved search, create a file for external citation management software, your rss feed.

• Search in PubMed
• Search in NLM Catalog
• Add to Search

The Burden of Drug Abuse in Nigeria: A Scoping Review of Epidemiological Studies and Drug Laws

Affiliations.

• 1 School of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia.
• 2 School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia.
• 3 Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.
• 4 School of Global Health and Bioethics, Euclid University, The Gambia.
• 5 Hospital Services Management Board, Ministry of health, Gusau, Nigeria.
• 6 Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Università Degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy.
• 7 Malaria Consortium Nigeria, Dutse, Nigeria.
• 8 Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Bayero University Kano, Kano, Nigeria.
• PMID: 33796340
• PMCID: PMC7904248
• DOI: 10.3389/phrs.2021.1603960

Background: The burden of drug abuse is becoming a public health concern in Nigeria. Preventive measures should include identifying the root causes of the burden for targeted intervention. We, therefore, aim to conduct a scoping review of the literature to summarize the findings of epidemiological studies on drug abuse and provisions of drug laws in Nigeria. The review also provides appropriate recommendations as interventions for prevention. Methods: We conducted a systematic search of the literature on PubMed to identify information on drug abuse and drug laws in Nigeria from the inception of the database to March 2020. Additional information was retrieved from Google Scholar, a manual search of included articles, discussion with experts on the subject matter, and gray literature. Study selection was performed using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statements. Information from gray literature was assessed for quality and accuracy using the AACODS checklist (authority, accuracy, coverage, objectively, date, significance). Results: The systematic search of the literature generated 253 studies. Nine articles were obtained from other sources. After the selection process, 23 eligible studies were included for review. A prevalence of 20-40% and 20.9% of drug abuse was reported among students and youths, respectively. Commonly abused drugs include cannabis, cocaine, amphetamine, heroin, diazepam, codeine, cough syrup and tramadol. Sources where abusers obtained drugs, were pharmacies/patent medicine shops, open drug markets, drug hawkers, fellow drug abusers, friends, and drug pushers. Drug abuse was common among undergraduates and secondary school students, youths, commercial bus drivers, farmers, and sex workers. Reason for use included to increase physical performance, stress and to derive pleasure. Poor socioeconomic factors and low educational background were the common risk factors associated with drug abuse. We identified several drug laws and policies that were established under government agencies such as the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), National Agency for Foods and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) and a Presidential Advisory Committee. Conclusion: Findings from epidemiological studies on drug abuse in Nigeria has demonstrated that the burden of drug abuse is still high despite the existing drug laws, policies, and strategies for prevention. Measures to reduce the burden should involve the community, government, and religious bodies. Preventive measures should target the youths, the students, identified sources of the drugs, reasons and risk factors associated with drug abuse in Nigeria.

Keywords: Nigeria; cocaine; codeine; drug abuse; public health; reviews.

Copyright © 2021 Jatau, Sha’aban, Gulma, Shitu, Khalid, Isa, Wada and Mustapha.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

PRISMA Flowchart for the study…

PRISMA Flowchart for the study selection process.

• United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) (2019). World drug report 2019. Available at: https://wdr.unodc.org/wdr2019/en/exsum.html (Accessed March 18, 2020).
• United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2017). The drug problem and organized crime, illicit financial flows, corruption and terrorism. Vienna, Austria: United Nations.
• United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2018). Drug use in Nigeria. Available at: https://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/statistics/Drugs/Drug_... (Accessed March 18, 2020).
• Ohuabunwa SI. (2019). Tackling the menace of drug abuse: a disruptive innovative approach. Available at: https://psnnational.org/index.php/2019/08/01/association-of-community-ph... (Accessed March 18, 2020).
• Pela OA., Ebie JC. (1982). Drug abuse in Nigeria: a review of epidemiological studies. Bull Narc. 34 (3-4), 91–99. - PubMed

Related information

Linkout - more resources, full text sources.

• Europe PubMed Central
• Frontiers Media SA
• PubMed Central

Other Literature Sources

• scite Smart Citations

• Citation Manager

NCBI Literature Resources

MeSH PMC Bookshelf Disclaimer

The PubMed wordmark and PubMed logo are registered trademarks of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Unauthorized use of these marks is strictly prohibited.

• Corpus ID: 229360028

Prevalence of Drug Abuse among Youths in Nigeria

• Published 2020
• Sociology, Medicine

Figures from this paper

22 References

Drug abuse among nigerian adolescents strategies for counselling, drug abuse among medical students at a nigerian university: part 1. prevalence and pattern of use., perception of drug abuse amongst nigerian undergraduates, substance use among secondary school students in an urban setting in nigeria: prevalence and associated factors., review of injection drug use in six african countries: egypt, kenya, mauritius, nigeria, south africa and tanzania, toward a global view of alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, and cocaine use: findings from the who world mental health surveys, child and adolescent violence, trapped in the traffick: growing problems of drug consumption in lagos, teenage drinking and the onset of alcohol dependence: a cohort study over seven years., facebook is creating records — but who is managing them, related papers.

Showing 1 through 3 of 0 Related Papers

Drug Abuse and Challenges of the Illicit Trafficking in Contemporary Nigeria: Issues, Problems and Solutions

• National Open University Of Nigeria Abuja
• This person is not on ResearchGate, or hasn't claimed this research yet.

Discover the world's research

• 25+ million members
• 160+ million publication pages
• 2.3+ billion citations

• INT J DRUG POLICY

• Neil Carrier

• J MOD AFR STUD
• Alice Hills
• CRIMINOLOGY
• ROLAND CHILTON
• Recruit researchers
• Join for free
• Login Email Tip: Most researchers use their institutional email address as their ResearchGate login Password Forgot password? Keep me logged in Log in or Continue with Google Welcome back! Please log in. Email · Hint Tip: Most researchers use their institutional email address as their ResearchGate login Password Forgot password? Keep me logged in Log in or Continue with Google No account? Sign up

European Journal of Biology and Medical Science Research (EJBMSR)

• +44(0)1634 560711
• [email protected]
• 124 City Road, London, EC1V 2NX. UK

Effect of Drug Abuse on the Academic Performance of Secondary School Students in Nigeria

() , , (), –

This paper examines the effect of drug abuse on academic performance of secondary school students in Nigeria. However, drug abuse is rampant among the teenagers because of their ignorance they do not understand the effect and repercussion of drug addicts. Moreover, many students acquired it through their friend’s influence, experimental curiosity, personal problems due to socio background conditions while many need it for energy to work for long hours. Similarly, some need drugs to prevent the occurrence of withdrawal symptoms e.t.c In addition, students lure to abuse the following drugs such Alcohol, cocaine, Nicotine and Phencyclidine e.t.c but all these drugs have negative effect in the body. For instance, many students find it cumbersome to read and even it kills their moral of reading culture. Consequence, after they have taken the drugs many students behave abnormally while other fall sick bases on their body system even it affects their ability of reasoning   all these problems contributed to their reading culture and many students failed honorably in public examination such WAEC, NECO and other external examinations yearly in Nigeria. Therefore, parents, teachers and Ministry education neither federal and state must contribute positively to reduce uses of the drugs among of teenagers in private and public secondary schools in Nigeria.

Keywords: Academic , Culture , Drug Abuse , Performance , Student , Symptoms , Teenagers , abnormally , cocaine , cumbersome , external. examination , public

This work by European American Journals is licensed under a  Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 Unported License

Recent Publications

Understanding genetics: exploring the impact of genetic research and discoveries over the past century, knowledge, attitude, and practice of contact lenses among female college students in the college of health sciences in kuwait, reducing teen pregnancy in hampton: a systematic review of evidence based interventions and effective programs to support teen parents, pattern of utilisation of family planning services among women of reproductive age attending comprehensive health centre, oba-ile, akure, ondo state nigeria.

Author Guidelines Submit Papers Review Status

British Journal of Marketing Studies (BJMS) European Journal of Accounting, Auditing and Finance Research (EJAAFR) European Journal of Business and Innovation Research (EJBIR) European Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research (EJHTR) European Journal of Logistics, Purchasing and Supply Chain Management (EJLPSCM) Global Journal of Human Resource Management (GJHRM) International Journal of Business and Management Review (IJBMR) International Journal of Community and Cooperative Studies (IJCCS) International Journal of Management Technology (IJMT) International Journal of Small Business and Entrepreneurship Research (IJSBER)

British Journal of Education (BJE) European Journal of Training and Development Studies (EJTDS) International Journal of Education, Learning and Development (IJELD) International Journal of Interdisciplinary Research Methods (IJIRM) International Journal of Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods (IJQQRM) International Journal of Vocational and Technical Education Research (IJVTER)

British Journal of Earth Sciences Research (BJESR) British Journal of Environmental Sciences (BJES) European Journal of Computer Science and Information Technology (EJCSIT) European Journal of Material Sciences (EJMS) European Journal of Mechanical Engineering Research (EJMER) European Journal of Statistics and Probability (EJSP) Global Journal of Pure and Applied Chemistry Research (GJPACR) International Journal of Civil Engineering, Construction and Estate Management (IJCECEM) International Journal of Electrical and Electronics Engineering Studies (IJEEES) International Journal of Energy and Environmental Research (IJEER) International Journal of Engineering and Advanced Technology Studies (IJEATS) International Journal of Environment and Pollution Research (IJEPR) International Journal of Manufacturing, Material and Mechanical Engineering Research (IJMMMER) International Journal of Mathematics and Statistics Studies (IJMSS) International Journal of Network and Communication Research (IJNCR) International Research Journal of Natural Sciences (IRJNS) International Research Journal of Pure and Applied Physics (IRJPAP)

British Journal of English Linguistics (BJEL) European Journal of English Language and Literature Studies (EJELLS) International Journal of African Society, Cultures and Traditions (IJASCT) International Journal of Asian History, Culture and Tradition (IJAHCT) International Journal of Developing and Emerging Economies (IJDEE) International Journal of English Language and Linguistics Research (IJELLR) International Journal of English Language Teaching (IJELT)

International Journal of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development Studies (IJAERDS) International Journal of Animal Health and Livestock Production Research (IJAHLPR) International Journal of Cancer, Clinical Inventions and Experimental Oncology (IJCCEO) International Journal of Cell, Animal Biology and Genetics (IJCABG) International Journal of Dentistry, Diabetes, Endocrinology and Oral Hygiene (IJDDEOH) International Journal of Ebola, AIDS, HIV and Infectious Diseases and Immunity (IJEAHII) International Journal of Entomology and Nematology Research (IJENR) International Journal of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology Research (IJECER) International Journal of Fisheries and Aquaculture Research (IJFAR) International Journal of Horticulture and Forestry Research (IJHFR) International Journal of Micro Biology, Genetics and Monocular Biology Research (IJMGMR) International Journal of Nursing, Midwife and Health Related Cases (IJNMH) International Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism Research (IJNMR) International Journal of Public Health, Pharmacy and Pharmacology (IJPHPP) International Journal of Weather, Climate Change and Conservation Research (IJWCCCR) International Journal Water Resources Management and Irrigation Engineering Research (IJWEMIER)

British Journal of Psychology Research (BJPR) European Journal of Agriculture and Forestry Research (EJAFR) European Journal of Biology and Medical Science Research (EJBMSR) European Journal of Botany, Plant Sciences and Phytology (EJBPSP) European Journal of Educational and Development Psychology (EJEDP) European Journal of Food Science and Technology (EJFST) Global Journal of Agricultural Research (GJAR) International Journal of Health and Psychology Research (IJHPR)

Global Journal of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (GJAHSS) Global Journal of Political Science and Administration (GJPSA) Global Journal of Politics and Law Research (GJPLR) International Journal of Development and Economic Sustainability (IJDES) International Journal of History and Philosophical Research (IJHPHR) International Journal of International Relations, Media and Mass Communication Studies (IJIRMMCS) International Journal of Music Studies (IJMS) International Journal of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Essays (IJNGOE) International Journal of Physical and Human Geography (IJPHG) International Journal of Sociology and Anthropology Research (IJSAR)

International Journal of Biochemistry, Bioinformatics and Biotechnology Studies (IJBBBS) International Journal of Coal, Geology and Mining Research (IJCGMR) International Journal of Geography and Regional Planning Research (IJGRPR) International Journal of Library and Information Science Studies (IJLISS) International Journal of Petroleum and Gas Engineering Research (IJPGER) International Journal of Petroleum and Gas Exploration Management (IJPGEM) International Journal of Physical Sciences Research (IJPSR) International Journal of Scientific Research in Essays and Case Studies (IJSRECS)

Don't miss any Call For Paper update from EA Journals

Fill up the form below and get notified everytime we call for new submissions for our journals. 

Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer.

To browse Academia.edu and the wider internet faster and more securely, please take a few seconds to  upgrade your browser .

Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link.

• We're Hiring!
• Help Center

Curbing Drug/Substance Abuse among Students in Universities in Nigeria: The Role of Librarians

2020, Research Journal of Library and Information Science

The rate at which youths, especially students in the tertiary institutions engage in drug/substance abuse in Nigeria is increasing on a daily basis. This has resulted in youth restiveness as well as other crimes, which has made it a serious challenge to national development and growth. What should be done, becomes the question in everyone’s mind. To this end, this study was developed. The study examined the roles of librarians in curbing drug/substance abuse among students in universities in Nigerian. It adopted the descriptive survey research design using the final year students of University of Uyo, totalling 1407 students. The accidental sampling technique was adopted in selecting 70 students, which represents 5% of the population. Questionnaire was used for data collection. Data generated were analysed using the descriptive statistics of frequency counts, mean scores and standard deviations. Findings of the study revealed that Alcohol-ethanol, tobacco, tramadol, etc. were found to be abused. Peer pressure, poverty and unemployment were among the determinants of the abuse. The behavioural patterns include dizziness, easily provoked, loss of self-control, etc. Consequences associated with drug/substance abuse and roles of librarians in curbing drug/substance abuse were found out. The study recommended intensified efforts by librarians in bringing to the knowledge of the students the dangers of drug/substance abuse and how to avoid them.

Related Papers

JOURNAL OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCES

Mercy Ebong

Onu Fidelis Chikodi

Edime Yunusa

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)

Maryam Mustafa-Shaibu

Global Journal of Health Science

Nweke Prince Onyemaechi

OBJECTIVE: The study investigated the effect of drug abuse and health risks among undergraduates of Federal Universities in Nigerian. METHODS: The study adopted a descriptive research design. The sample of the study consisted of four hundred and fifty-eight (458) undergraduates. The study adopted structured questionnaire. Cronbach Alpha Reliability Co-efficient was used to determine the instruments which yielded reliability coefficients of 0.78. Data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation. The questionnaire items were drawn and coded on a 4-point scale: Strongly Agree -4 points, Agree -3 points, Disagree -2 points, and Strongly Disagree -1 point. These responses were based on positively worded items while reverse was for the negatively worded items. The average score from coded data (4+3+2+1 =10/4) was 2.50. RESULTS: The findings of the study indicated that health risks of drug abuse can leads to drug addiction, hepatitis, HIV/AIDs, cancer or mental illness, heart...

ANDREW ENVULU CLEMENT

envulu clement

The research is essentially designed to find out the influence of drug abuse on students’ academic performance in tertiary institutions with specific reference to university of Abuja. This study aims at investigating the negative impact of drug abuse. It also identifies some factors that could be attributed to students’ involvement in drug abuse. The individuals involved might be sue to the environment, culture, religion and finance. In addition, the research focuses on educating and motivating drug users to adhere to treatment based on diagnosis and pharmacological grounds required by the body that in turn lead to the elimination of drug abuse. It has been noted that the incidence of drug abuse in Nigeria Tertiary Institutions has risen to a peak level that teenagers and other category of ages are highly involved. Data collection was through questionnaire, administered to students in the University with preliminary results on frequency and percentiles. Finally recommendations were made base on the results of findings.

African Health Sciences

aremu olatayo

Adedayo Sanni

European Scientific Journal ESJ

Background: Substance abuse among Nigerian in-school youth has been on the rise in recent times with attendant physical and mental health consequences. This study aimed at determining the awareness and knowledge of, attitude to, and prevalence of substance abuse among senior secondary school students in Lagos State of Nigeria. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among senior secondary school students in Lagos using the multistage sampling technique. A pre-tested structured, self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data which was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 21. The level of significance for statistical analysis was set at p ≤0.05 at a 95% Confidence Interval. Pearson’s Chi square and Fisher's exact tests were used to determine the association between categorical variables. Results: A total of 422 students participated in the study with a mean age of 16.30 ± 1.72 years. Three hundred and seventy-eight respondents (89.6%) indicated that they were aware of substance abuse with television being the commonest first source of information, 134 (35.5%). The overall knowledge of students on substance abuse was good (66.9%) and the attitude to substance abuse was positive among 233 respondents (61.6%). The overall prevalence of substance abuse was 8.3% and the most commonly used substances were opiates such as codeine-containing cough syrup and tramadol (11.6%), followed by tranquilizers (9%), hallucinogens (5.6%) and amphetamines (5.3%) with the influencers of use being mainly family friends (31.4%), parents (22.9%) and peers (22.9%). Conclusion: The study revealed that despite overall good knowledge and positive attitudes, substance abuse remained a practice in this group. There is a need to implement school-wide positive behavioral programs to reduce prevalence and supply reduction interventions to reduce the availability of these substances. There is also a need for further studies to explore the other drivers and facilitators of this phenomenon.

Bello Babatunde Paul

This study was to examine the factors and prevention of drugs abuse among secondary school students in Gwagwalada Area Council FCT Abuja . A survey research design was adopted for the study while a simple random technique was used to select one hundred (180) respondents which included secondary school students of Gwagwalada Area Council, Abuja that constituted the sample size for the study. The main instrument used for the study was questionnaire and the data collected were analyzed using frequency counts, mean and percentages. The findings revealed that respondents availability of drug peddlers and selling shops have promoted drug abuse in schools, Depressants which includes Alcohol, Beer and Tobacco as the major type of drugs abuse by secondary school students, the respondent majorly agreed that drugs are the major contributors of absenteeism from schools and drugs are the major contributors of school dropout also respondent agreed that drugs are the major contributors of violence, rampages and riots and finally the preventive measures of curbing drug abuse were revealed as mass media should play a key role in highlighting the evil effects of drug abuse, drug addicts should be produced with necessary counseling services and socially rehabilitation to enable them quit the ugly habit. Based on the findings of the study it was recommended among others, that greater availability of good educational activities, material and leadership opportunities for youths are necessary to keep the youths happily busy, a social environment should be created which would discourage drug abuse, with the schools and Universities educating students on the dangers of drug abuse and the value of life and lastly, legislation should be enacted to penalize haulage companies especially transporters who do not implement and enforce procedure to prevent misuse of their facilities by drug traffickers.

Loading Preview

Sorry, preview is currently unavailable. You can download the paper by clicking the button above.

RELATED PAPERS

Journal of International Medical Research

Olawumi Johnson

Joseph Oluyemi

Tolulope J Ogunleye

European Scientific Journal

DAVID IGBOKWE

African Journal of Psychiatry

Adebayo Onajole

Addiction & Health

Yusuf Hassan Wada

Abuhuraira Ado Musa , Faisal Muhammad

Yusuf Sarkingobir

Chinyere Aguocha

AJHSSR Journal

OGUNDELE, B.O. & FAMUYIWA, S.A

Famuyiwa S . Aderemi

usman Muhammad Alhassan

SHUKRAH CAFE

Olubayo O . Stephen

PERCEPTION OF STUDENTS ON SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND ITS CONSEQUENCE ON EDUCATIONAL PROSPECTS IN SELECTED SECONDARY SCHOOLS OF ILESA EAST LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Olawale M A R C U S Olanrewaju

Sule Lamido University Journal of Science and Technology (SLUJST)

Open Journal of Psychiatry

Babatunde Fadipe , Peter Onifade

Olufunke O Chenube

RELATED TOPICS

•   We're Hiring!
•   Help Center
• Find new research papers in:
• Health Sciences
• Earth Sciences
• Cognitive Science
• Mathematics
• Computer Science
• Academia ©2024

Expository Essay On Drug Abuse 250 Words

Drug abuse is a severe issue that impacts numerous people in our society. It happens when people use drugs too much and too often, which can hurt their bodies and their minds. This is a big problem that we need to understand and find ways to stop.

Table of Contents

Expository Essay on Drug Abuse

Causes of drug abuse.

There are different reasons why people might start using drugs too much. Sometimes, it’s because their family has a history of using drugs, and they might think it’s okay. Other times, people might be feeling sad or stressed, and they use drugs to try and feel better. Sometimes, it’s because friends or people they know are using drugs, and they feel pressured to do the same. All these things can make someone more likely to start abusing drugs.

Effects of Drug Abuse

Using drugs too much can make people sick. It can hurt their bodies, like their hearts and their kidneys. Some drugs can even make it really hard for people to stop using them, and they become addicted. This means they feel like they have to keep using the drugs even if they want to stop. Drug abuse can also affect how people act and think. They might have trouble concentrating, and they could become really sad or even angry. This can make it hard for them to do well in school, have good relationships with their friends and family, or even keep a job.

Effects of Drug Abuse on Society

When a lot of people in a society abuse drugs, it can cause big problems. First, it can make communities less safe. People who are using drugs might do things that hurt others, like stealing or fighting. This can make neighborhoods feel dangerous. Second, it can make it hard for the economy to grow. When people are using drugs too much, they might not be able to work well, and this can hurt businesses and the whole country. Lastly, drug abuse can put a burden on hospitals and clinics, because people who abuse drugs often get sick and need medical help.

Prevention and Treatment

To stop drug abuse, we need to work together. Schools can teach kids about the dangers of drugs and help them build strong, healthy lives. Families can support each other and talk about the importance of making good choices. Communities can create programs and activities that give people alternatives to using drugs, like sports, art, or volunteering. And if someone is already struggling with drug abuse, they can get help. There are places where they can talk to doctors or counselors who know how to help them stop using drugs. They might need medicine or therapy, and they might need their friends and family to support them too.

In conclusion, drug abuse is a big problem that affects many people and our society. We need to understand why people start abusing drugs and find ways to help them stop. It’s important for families, schools, and communities to work together and create a safe and healthy environment where people can make good choices. By preventing drug abuse and offering help to those who need it, we can build a better and stronger society for everyone.

Answers to Questions

Question 1: What are the common causes of drug abuse?

Common causes of drug abuse include a family history of drug use, mental health issues, peer pressure, and trying to cope with stress or sadness.

Question 2: What are the effects of drug abuse on society?

Drug abuse can make communities less safe, hurt the economy, and burden healthcare systems due to the increased medical needs of those affected.

Question 3: What are the different types of drugs that are commonly abused?

Commonly abused drugs include alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, pharmaceutical drugs, and banned drugs like cocaine and heroin.

Hello! Welcome to my Blog StudyParagraphs.co. My name is Angelina. I am a college professor. I love reading writing for kids students. This blog is full with valuable knowledge for all class students. Thank you for reading my articles.

Related Posts:

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.