EASY AVAILABILITY OF THE SUBSTANCES IS THE MAIN CAUSE OF DRUG USE

NAIROBI -- Five broad social causes account for substance use and
eventually substance abuse by the youth.

Chief among them is the fact that law enforcement agents do not curb
illegal substances use with some police officers colluding with the
peddlers or even peddling the drugs themselves.

Frustration arising from lack of school fees, and boredom resulting from
want of gainful employment lead some youth to substance use under the
illusion that those who use or abuse drugs will become bold, confident or
courageous.

While some youth are brought up in homes where parents use or sell
substances and the exposure predisposes them to drug use and, in due course
abuse, there are those who are influenced by peer pressure under the false
impression that the substances stimulate appetite for food, increase
strength to perform heavy tasks, give wisdom or instil courage to commit
crimes.

But there exists official ambivalence towards substance use in the country.
Alcohol and tobacco are a cause of ill-health and at the same time sources
of income tax. While brewing and use of indigenous alcoholic drinks is are
illegal, the production and use of "premium" alcoholic drinks is legal.
When it comes to miraa, the government treats it as a valued export
commodity, competing with tea and coffee.

Paradoxically, both affluence and poverty are causes of substance abuse.

Those from rich families abuse substances because they can afford while
some from poor families get into drugs because of idleness after dropping
out of school.

Lack of gainful employment appears to be the main cause of substance abuse
even in cases where the youth have completed school.

Contributing to the increasing substance abuse by the youth is the rapid
social and economic change the country has gone through. The modern-day
education undermines the indigenous teachings that restricted the use of
alcohol to older people and special occasions.

Alliance High School Principal Christopher Khaemba says that poor
communication could be a cause of indiscipline for students and adds: "In
my school, we have a suggestion box where they drop their complaints, which
is only accessible to the Principal. I pay attention to all the complaints.

Homelessness, hostilities or an unhealthy environment drive some youth to
the streets where they use drugs as an escape route from the reality they
would rather forget. In the process, they sniff glue thinking that it would
make them feel better, cushion them from the cold, or make them have friends.

Thus, some of the causes that lead young people into substance use and
abuse are similar to the alleged stress that drives some of them to
experiment with substances as a means of getting inebriated, and running
away from the realities of life.

The relatively easy availability of these substances appears to be the main
cause of their use and abuse among the youth. All one needs is the
inclination and the money to buy them, except in the case of illegal
substances, when one has to be on the lookout for law enforcement officers.

Thus, there is a connection between substance use and the availability and
accessibility.

By and large, the greatest initial influence that makes one experiment with
substances are the user, the family and peer groups.

A family or a community in which adults drink, smoke bhang, or chew miraa
can influence the youth to use substances, which they may abuse in the long
run.

As such, substance use or abuse by parents is a powerful influence on their
children's behaviour as they (children) tend to emulate their parents. Even
though one's personality can contribute to initial experimentation with
substances use, social influences can introduce vulnerable young people to
substances in an environment where they are freely passed around.

Whatever the initial influence or cause, when the youth persistently engage
in substance use, they evolve a culture of abuse since they start treating
it as part of their lifestyle, and are not conscious of the dangerous
situations they are falling into.

But substance use predisposes the youth to disease and poor health,
conflict with the law and poor academic performance, which translate into
dropping out of educational institutions, into narrow opportunities in life
and into an inability to get or keep jobs.

All in all, substance abuse by the youth culminates in an abnormal
behaviour that makes them pariahs normally associated with criminal and
social depravity. Only a small percentage of the youth get to learn of the
dangers of substance use and abuse from their families, while it is a
well-known fact that it is easier to prevent than to treat substance
abuse-related disorders.

Outside families, preventive measures fail because the strategies developed
in and for industrialised countries are applied locally in the absence of
local data.

While schools are ideal sites for preventing substance use, a major
challenge is how to apply preventive measures in relation to non-students.

To fully understand the problem, there is a need to carry out a survey
based on households in order to capture the magnitude of substance use and
abuse by non-students.