GROWING DRUG CASES AMONG STUDENTS

TUNDE walked up to his mother's shop, looking rough and having the collar
of his shirt flying.

He had a look of someone already in the clouds - that look of someone
intoxicated with alcohol.

For him at 15 years and in Senior Secondary School I, you can't but notice
his gait, his unkept clothes and the redden eyes. Speaking with his mother
who sells palm oil, his blood short eyes and bad breath were so glaring
that one tends to wonder what may be responsible for all of these.

Kunle's slurred speech and impaired concentration at school in his own case
was what drew the attention of his physics teacher who then reported him to
his mummy.

Cases like that of Kunle and Tunde's cases are many . Many people just wave
it aside, forgetting they are symptoms of illicit drug use which has become
a common thing amongst both children in school and out of school. The use
of psychoactive substances among adolescents and young adults has become a
subject of public concern worldwide partly because of its potentials to
contribute to unintentional and intentional injury.

A psychoactive substance is any substance that people take to change either
the way they feel, think or behave.

This includes alcohol and tobacco, as well as natural and manufactured drugs.

In a study carried out amongst senior secondary school students in
South-West Nigeria by Prof. A.O. Odejide far back in 1980's, about half of
the students were found to use alcohol. Many even commenced its intake as
early as the age of 10 years. Even the pattern of substance abuse amongst
those above secondary school students in 1994 by researchers in Ilorin and
documented by West African Journal of Medicine confirmed this. They
recorded as high as eight out of every 10 abusing alcohol amongst this
university undergraduate students group studied.

Inhalation of solvents such as gasoline, correction fluid, rubber solution,
nail polish remover, kerosine and butyl nitrate appears to be a more recent
development that was also reported among this group of students, and
especially amongst out-of-school youth apprentices who work in close
contact with these solvents.

A recent assessment of drug use among senior secondary students in rural
Nigeria by Prof. Taiwo Lawoyin, O.O. Ajumobi, M.M. Abdul; J.O. Abdul-Malik;
D.A. Adegoke and O.A. Agbedeyi also recorded 14 different psychoactive
substances that they reported to abuse.

Alabukun, a popular locally manufactured analgesic (a mixture of aspirin
and caffeine) was the most commonly reported drug that they all accepted to
currently use and ever used. Alcohol was the next, followed by kola nut
(which is rich in caffeine). Alabukun is also one drug that reports has it
that it is most commonly abused even amongst adult commercial drivers.

Mrs. Yetunde Godwin, head of department, drug demand, National Drug Law
Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Oyo zonal office also painting the picture of
what drug abuse is like amongst secondary school students said they had
even surpassed using Alabukun because it is not as strong as they wanted.

"When they come in and we question them on how they got into drug use, they
usually explain.

Now, some use local concoctions to be high. They ferment faeces of wall
gecko, using water gotten from water drainages and some other chemicals.

It is this they now snuff. "Some are also found to smoke dry leaves of
pawpaw, some inhale volatile solvents like glue, petrol, correction fluid,
nail polish remover, rubber solution and even kerosine.There are cases of
people soaking Indian hemp in palm wine or cooking it as a vegetable like
it is done in some pepper soup joints.

Nowadays, she said palm wine or wine into which Indian help had been soaked
is even served at parties. "You see people asking for more and more cups of
the wine, not knowing it is because of the Indian hemp that had been added.
If it is your first visit to a joint that sells such, after a cup of palm
wine you immediately get intoxicated unlike when you go to other places and
would have taken about three cups of palm wine before you start to feel
intoxicated." Inhalation of the fluid inside the cactus leaves, though not
too common used as other substances, is abused too.

In the opinion of Mrs. Godwin, some socially accepted drugs such as dark
coffee, alcohol, pito (a local drink), dry gin, kola nut, local gin and
cigarette continued to serve as entry points to many starting to take hard
drugs like cocaine, heroin, and even Indian hemp amongst secondary school
students. Few however before leaving the secondary school because they are
from a wealthy background may graduate to taking cocaine and other hard
drugs, she stated.

Based on past works done by NDLEA, Mrs. Godwin said the level of drug abuse
is still relatively low in Ibadan compared to what occurs in Lagos.

The drug that is mostly abused in Ibadan according to her is Indian hemp
(65 per cent) and more amongst males than females. "Since I resumed in
Ibadan office, I have not even had a female drug user" she declared.

Pastor Tunji Agboola, of the Good Workers Movement International (GMI), an
NGO based in Ibadan and involved in rehabilitation of drug addicts
confirmed that drug use is one habit that is becoming more and more popular
even among secondary school students and even among outgoing school students.

"Most start to use alcohol in the normal settings of the family and at
parties. The moment they are initiated this way, and they get to school,
they also delve into it. Alcohol use this way and tobacco are gateway to
other drugs.

Remember, psychologists and psychiatrists even say not all people will have
problem with drugs. "Some will start and leave while some become addicted
because they cannot stop. In his own assessment, alcohol and hemp are the
two drugs mostly abused at this age range, stressing also that people
should not be fooled to say only boys take drugs.

Girls are also alcohol and hemp abusers.

"Females that take hemp couldn't go on the streets.

Such wouldn't become arrogant or violent like the male counterpart, but
most are involved in prostitution. You see them hang around at night clubs
and around men to get resources to maintain this lifestyle.

To help parents pick the tell tale sign of drug use in their wards, he said
"in any boy into drugs, you see a change of behaviour, he suddenly begins
to ask for money as he was not doing before, his mode of dressing becomes
changed and may tend to always look down and aware from direct gaze."

"Such may fall in love with perfume suddenly or use continuously menthol
contain rubs and sweets to cover up the smell.

In the home, you start to find things missing and matches disappearing and
turning up in strange places or not seen at all. Abuse of drugs, including
medications is not void of problems.

Dr. Folakoye Olaoye Ajiboye, Chairman, Association of General and Private
Medical Practitioners of Nigeria (AGPPN), Osun State chapter said "people
don't just take drugs for its sake. They do it to be able to get involved
in tasks that cannot be done merely."

"I have had course to admit such students after taking the drug, imagine it
making them want to commit suicide, develop mental problem etc. "So many
people take Alabukun when they have aches and pain, virtually everybody
indulge in this to give temporary relief" but "even an overdose of this
drug known to have aspirin can create many problems.

The stomach may end up producing lots of acid which erodes the stomach
causing ulcer and severe bleeding in the intestines leading to anaemia .
Anaemia on its own can lead to death.

Even aspirin poisoning can occur in such an individual.

Those that abuse drugs like coffee and kola nut can also end up staying
awake all night leading to frustration .Such may even develop anxiety
problem or even a major depression. Inhaling volatile substances, which are
present in many products such as glue, paints, gasoline and cleaning
fluids, are directly toxic to the liver, kidney or heart, and some even
produce progressive brain degeneration. Studies have also identified an
association between drug use and the number of life time sexual partners,
thus indicating that drug use behaviour increases adolescents and young
adults risk for acquiring sexually transmitted infections and unintended
pregnancy.

Dr. Grace Adejuwon, a psychologist with the University of Ibadan explaining
why adolescents take to drugs said it arises due to peer group influence,
parenting problem and the fact that some try to live in their own
idealistic world.

Being a stage when they try out things to find out for themselves, she said
they are highly prone to risk taking, especially if this will give them a
sense of belonging.

The fact those parents are now very busy, leaving out monitoring of their
children and so causing the parent-child attachment to be weakened, Dr.
Adejumo said is not helping to deter adolescents going into drug abuse.

"Parents need to know who the friends of their kids are. When the
attachment is missing, such cannot come in and say today I tried alcohol.
This can happen if there is communication, but it will not occur since the
child has been left to take decisions on his own. "The parent unfortunately
may not know until it becomes a chronic problem.

They only get to worry when it starts to affect the academics of that
child." As the young ones continue to be exposed to different things
,including drugs, the society at large owe them the duty to protect them
from its damages, be it the socially accepted ones or the natural or
maufactured ones.