Stakeholders in the South-West geopolitical zone of Nigeria have expressed concern over the increasing rate of drug abuse, especially the Cannabis Sataiva among youths and its negative effects on the society.
In separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan, Akure, Abeokuta, Ilorin, Ado-Ekiti and Osogbo, they called for renewed efforts and effective collaborations in the war against the menace.
In his contributions, Mr Ishaku Kwajafa, the Commander, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Ogun, said that Cannabis sativa was readily available in Ogun, because of its nearness to states like Ekiti and Ondo where the drug was commonly cultivated.
Kwajafa said, “Cannabis sativa is usually abused by youths within the age bracket of 21 and 35.”
According to him, the agency has discovered that children between 14 and 15 years have also been getting involved in the practice lately.
“The particular people that get involved in it are youths between the ages of 21 and 35, but we still have some adults who smoke it for recreational purpose.
“The practice among the teens is usually borne out of the desire to experiment, while older youths believe it will make them bold to face challenges,” he said.
Kwajafa identified low income, greater welfare dependence, unemployment, criminal behaviour and lower life satisfaction as part of the negative effects of Cannabis abuse.
The commander, however, said that the agency had stepped up measures toward curbing the practice in the state.
“Just of recent, we intensified our surveillance across major forest reserves, especially around Ijebu-East Local Government area.
“The state government has been so helpful, especially the Ministry of Agriculture.
“We are working hand-in-hand to see that people are discouraged when they enter the forest for the purpose of planting Cannabis sativa.
“We want to make sure that Ogun is not turned into Cannabis haven,” Kwajafa said.
He explained that the agency had intensified campaign against the menace by talking to people, particularly the pressure groups, about the dangers of the substances and its implications on health.
“We are campaigning across the state, educating people about the dangers inherent in drug abuse, not only the Cannabis, but other illicit drugs.
“We have engaged in public enlightenment in schools, talking to students and parents during the Parent-Teachers Association (PTA) meetings, trade unions as well as transport unions.
“We have also embarked on advocacy visits to various communities to sensitise members and residents on the dangers of using such substances,” he said.
Also, Mr Hassan Akintunde, a Public Commentator, said that the menace had affected nearly all aspects of the society.
Hassan said the damage done by Cannabis’ abuse and other illicit drugs often reflected in an overburdened justice system, a strained healthcare system, lost productivity and environmental destruction.
“The consequences of illicit drug use are widespread, causing permanent physical and emotional damage to users and negatively impacting their families, co-workers and many others with whom they have contact.
“Abuse of Cannabis negatively impacts a user’s health, often leading to sickness and disease. In many cases, users die prematurely from overdoses or other associated illnesses.
Mr Yomade Ogunbiyi, NDLEA Commandant in Osun, said Cannabis sativa, “poses a serious threat to the society because of its abuse by those who take it.”
Ogunbiyi said the abuse of hemp comes with a physical, psychological and socioeconomic effects on the society.
“The effect of cannabis can be physical, physical in the sense that it affects the body of the user and damages vital organs of the body.
“The psychological effect can lead to psychosis (a form of madness), hallucinogens misbehaviour and that is why people believe when people smoke or take hemp, they tend to misbehave.
“The socioeconomic effect is that it can lead to family disorientation, thuggery, prostitution, school dropout, underperformance in given tasks, unemployment and unproductiveness.
“Someone on cannabis is prone to accident, vehicular, industrial or home accidents.
“If the person using cannabis is incapacitated, it becomes a problem to the family and if someone is unemployed, he can not cater for the family.
“If children taking hemp can no longer perform very well in their tasks and studies in school, it becomes a problem for the family and where the family is not wealthy, the children becomes a liability and nuisance to the society; from the society, then the generality of humanity.
“Cannabis does not only affect the users, the effect of cannabis is holistic. It affect a lot of things and the society.” he said.
According to him, many factors are responsible for the use of hemp, such as peer group influence, availability of hard drugs, experimentation, curiosity, among others.
“Parents too don’t have time for their children anymore. Vacuum does not exist in nature. Children pick up characters, habits around and from their peers.
“There are lots of indiscipline, degrading family and society values, negative media influence too, as children copy bad habits from famous artists trying to imitate the artists lifestyle,” NDLEA Commandant said.
He, therefore, advised parents to take up their roles and create time for their children to save them from peer pressure and negative influences, which might drive them into illicit drugs usage or drugs abuse.
Commenting, Dr Ola Ibigbami, a Lecturer at the Department of Mental Health, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, said that abuse of Cannabis Sativa usually affect both mental and physical health of the users.
“Taking hard drug give people a setback in all endeavours to the extent that when their mates are making progress academically, they would be drastically dropping out or advised to withdraw.
“Even, if their colleagues are gainfully employed, those that have spoilt their future with hard drugs would not have the opportunity of such,” Ibigbami, who also doubles as Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, said.
She, however, admonished parents to take good care of their children to prevent them from going wayward.
Contributing, Dr Paul Agboola, Provost of Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro in Abeokuta, said that menace of drug abuse was fast becoming a pandemic, not only in Nigeria, but throughout the world.
“Drug abuse is an epidemic proportion, just like the case of COVID-19 infection.
“Drug abuse among our youths is on an alarming proportion, 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 have been made into cakes or sweet forms and youths unknowingly take these things which were served at parties,” Agboola said.
According to him, to check the alarming rate at which our 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.
Also, Moyosore Ajao, a Professor of Neuro-Anatomy at the University of Ilorin, attributed the rising incidences of drug abuse, especially use of Hemp, to moral decadence and poor parental upbringing.
Ajao observed that substance abuse had increased the surge in cult-related bloody street brawls in the metropolis.
He urged parents not to abandon their responsibilities in inculcating the age-long and venerated Ilorin Islamic culture in their wards.
The expert, who is also the Chairman, Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Ilorin chapter, said, “there is no community in Ilorin where we don’t have incidences of drug abuse.
“There is also an emergence of new psychoactive substances.
“It is easy for anyone to conclude that abuse of these plants is contributing to the growing moral decadence and increasing incidences of psychiatric and criminal-related disorders reported among youths and some adults these days.”
In his remarks, Prof. Baba Issa, the Chairman, Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Kwara branch, said that effects of drug abuse could result in mental disorder, suicide and sometimes premature death.
Issa advised youths to shun and abstain from using drugs not prescribed by doctors and shun making friends with drug pushers to prevent untimely death.
Responding, Mr Babawale Afolabi, the Spokesperson, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), said that consumption and sales of Cannabis have reduced in the state.
Afolabi said that since the beginning of 2022, only six people were arrested by the corps on hemp related matter.
Commenting, an Ilorin-based legal practitioner, Mr Kabir Usman, described youths’ addiction to hemp as “a threat to a decent society and as well increases crimes rate in Nigeria”.
Usman said that hemp was gradually becoming a common good in the country.
According to him, hemp breeds bad habits and dangerous acts which make society unsafe.
“Most dangerous crimes are committed under the influence of cannabis. It makes you lose your moral sense when you take it.
“We witnessed rape, assault, indecent dressing, kidnapping and social unrest on daily basis because of the influx of hemp in the country.
“It is not restricted to residential areas alone, even on campuses and schools, hemp had become a way of life for students,” he said.
The legal practitioner, however, called on governments at all levels and NDLEA to act and help curb the menace.
He advised the agency and other security agents to track the suppliers of the products and prosecute the dealers.
Usman also advised parents to always monitor their children and wards to help curb the menace.
He urged them not to harbour such children and as well speak out or report to the nearest security posts whenever they observed such practices in their children.
A Psychiatric Consultant, Dr Sunday Sajo, who works at the Neuro-psychatric Hospital, Akure, described cannabis as the most widespread illicit drug.
Sajo said that about 147 million people, accounting for 2.5 per cent of the world’s population consume cannabis (annual prevalence) compared with 0.2 per cent consuming Cocaine and 0.2 per cent consuming opiate.
According to him, survey data from some African countries suggest that cannabis is the most common illicit drug used in the region.
“In many cases, reports suggest that cannabis abuse is increasing and predominantly a problem among young people.
“The prevalence of use in Africa is lower compared to developed countries.
“In Nigeria, two large-scale studies show that the use of cannabis rates 2.4 per cent and 2.6 per cent,” Sajo said.
He said reports using hospital data had shown that cannabis abuse was common and accounts for a substantive proportion of psychiatric admissions in Nigeria.
“Cannabis has become more closely linked to youths and the age of initiation is usually lower than what is observed in other illicit drugs.
“Its use increases the use of other illegal drugs, hence it is labeled a gateway drug.
“Cannabis is also the most common illicit drug abused by young people and students, according to most school survey data,” he said.
The psychiatric consultant noted that effects of cannabis were dependent on dose, experience, setting, motivation, expectation and personality of the user.
“In low to moderate doses, effects may include a sense of relaxation, euphoria, enhanced sensation of taste, touch, hearing and vision, changes in perception of time and space, impaired coordination, judgment and memory, reddening of the eyes, dry mouth, and irritation of the respiratory tract.
“In higher doses, effects include illusion, anxiety, confusion, delusion and hallucination.
“Regular and long term use may impair cognitive as well as endocrine functions. Cannabis may reduce the immune system’s ability to fight infectious diseases,” he said.
Sajo, therefore, tasked government, society and other stakeholders to support campaigns against consumption of cannabis, saying that destinies and goals of many youths had been battered.
Also, Dr Kunle Ajisefini, a Lecturer at Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology (OAUSTECH), Okitipupa, described the adverse effect of abuse of Cannabis among youths as a major concern to the society.
Ajisefini said any government, the academic and the society at large that indulge in the abuse of cannabis could not be regarded as being serious in the fight against drug abuse.
He said, “though, cannabis has its positive contribution to the development of the economy in other climes, in Africa, they always copy the negative side of everything.
“Majority of youths now have taken abuse of cannabis and other drugs as a normal life, and they take it without any control.
“This has made many of them to be dangerous and indeed a threat to the society and their futures too.
“The consequences of abuse of the cannabis sativa ranges from psychiatric imbalance, accidents from driving under influence of drug to untimely deaths which arise from suicides.”
Ajisefini, therefore, urged government at all levels to continue to use all media apparatus and counselling at schools, churches, markets, among others to guide against the abuse of cannabis in the society.
In his remarks, SP Funmilayo Odunlami, Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in Ondo State, said that the menace of Cannabis had increased the rate of insecurity, leading to negative impact on the society.
Odunlami called on parents and guardians, religious and community leaders to join hands with security agencies in the country to say no to hard drugs among youths.
According to her, intake of hard drugs, especially cannabis, leads to rape, kidnapping and armed robbery which have negative impacts on society because after taking the drugs, they see beyond the ordinary.
Odunlami said consumption of cannabis could render people useless, cause health defection and bring confusion in the society, adding that it has more damage and negative impacts on people and the society at large.
“It causes a lots of things, and one of them is insecurity, which we are experiencing today, because most of these people who commit crime would have taken some sort of tramadol or other things before perpetrating the acts.
“Basically, all these can be curbed, if all parents and guardians were alive to their responsibilities. We keep saying it, train your children and wards; tell them that hard drugs have negative impacts in society.
“Drug abuse is bad, it doesn’t help in any form, rather it destroys people’s future and if you think you are so involved in hard drugs, it is better to go to hospital and consult a therapist.
“Because any form of drug abuse always has negative impacts on people and society at large,” PPRO said.
In the same vein, an Akure-based lawyer, Oludare Bodunde, strongly advised government at all levels to halt the useage of cannabis and other hard drugs by its citizens, especially the youths.
Bodunde lamented that a larger percentage of patients suffering from mental disorder today in psychiatric hospitals were mainly drug addicts.
He urged government to wake up from its “sleep” and quickly find a lasting solution.
“Government should begin to train children on effect of hard drugs in both secondary and tertiary institutions by including it in schools curriculum and courses.
“Proper sensitisation and awareness through relevant stakeholders, such as NDLEA, parents and guardians must be done.
“Some users, who are parents, leave their children in the care of relatives.
“The consequences are also felt on the criminal justice system, with resources expended at each stage of the arrest, adjudication, incarceration and supervision process after release.
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“An individual, who is admitted into the hospital or incapacitated on account of the abuse, is also automatically removed from the labour force with attendant loss or reduction in productivity,” he said.
