The authorities should strengthen drug control policies

In its determination to strengthen action and cooperation to achieve the goal of an international society free of drug abuse, the United Nations General Assembly decided on 7 December 1987 to observe 26 June as the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. As Nigeria therefore joins the rest of the world for this year’s edition, it is important for stakeholders to understand that we are in the throes of a major public health emergency.

We must commend the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) under the leadership of Brigadier General Muhammad Buba Marwa (rtd) for fighting the scourge. But there can be no denying the fact that the challenge is enormous. Just this week, the NDLEA reportedly uncovered a large-scale clandestine methamphetamine production facility hidden in a forest in Oyo state. A month ago, NDLEA operatives had dismantled a similar laboratory in a forest in Ogun State. Methamphetamine is a central nervous system stimulant that is primarily used as a recreational or performance-enhancing drug. Five suspects, including a Mexican national allegedly recruited to oversee the operation, were arrested.

To be sure, the use of drugs outside prescription is all pervasive, particularly among the youths. This is due partly to lack of a proper regulation in the health facilities as well as in the dispensing of medicines. Over the years, Nigeria has become an open market where almost every drug can be obtained across the counter. The porous borders encourage all manner of drugs to be shipped in, and where many of the dealers are traders with bare knowledge of public health consequences of their products. Indeed, the first ever nation-wide survey on drug use in Nigeria revealed gross abuse of drug substances, particularly by those in the age bracket of 15 and 64. Even more worrying, close to three million of these young persons are drug-dependent but cannot access help due to lack of health facilities.

The abuse of drugs in Nigeria is aided by parental neglect, peer pressure and the all-pervading poverty and unemployment. Many frustrated and unemployed young people resort to many of these street drugs for their relaxing and euphoric effects. A synthetic opioid analgesic used to treat moderate to severe pain is said to be one of the most abused drugs. Cough syrups like codeine and others are also seriously implicated among the abused drugs by both sexes – either as a stimulant or for depressant purposes.

There are no reliable statistics, but there is no doubt that drug abuse has been linked to the continued upsurge in criminal activities across the country. Many cases of rape, cultism, kidnapping for ransom, armed robbery, banditry and even car crashes feed on the ready availability of many of the hard drugs in the street. The menace has created an unacceptable burden on individuals, families, communities, and societies. As the Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) Professor Mojisola Adeyeye put it, drug abuse is undermining efforts to deepen socio-economic development and “is associated with crime and lawlessness.”

According to the report once conducted by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in collaboration with the National Bureau of Statistics and funded by the European Union, about 14 per cent of the population abused drugs in the previous year, a figure more than twice the world’s average of 5.6 per cent. It is therefore time authorities in Nigeria woke up to this challenge that poses danger to the future of the country. More should be done to create awareness on the danger of drug abuse. And as most experts have suggested, the authorities should strengthen drug control policies while more counselling and treatment services should be created for those already hooked.