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Tag: Drug abuse

  • Pharmacists campaign against drug abuse

    The Lagos State chapter of Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) yesterday organized an awareness rally against drug abuse for residents.

    The rally themed, ‘’Threats to drug abuse’’ took off from the popular Allen Avenue and terminated at the Lagos State secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja, where participants paid a thank- you visit to the Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment, Pharm (Mrs) Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf, for her moral and financial support for the rally.

    Receiving branded souvenirs and T-shirts from the team, Akinbile-Yussuf, who was represented by one of her aides, Mrs Ronke Omokhodion said that she would always support initiatives that would help tackle and reduce drug abuse and other related issues confronting the pharmaceutical and health sector of the country.

    Speaking with The Nation shortly after the rally, chairperson of PSN, Lagos state chapter, Pharm (Mrs) Bolanle Adeniran said the essence of the rally was to sensitize and encourage the public to desist from drug misuse and abuse.

    She said: “The misuse of drugs is on the increase and people are dying. I believe that the more we sensitize the people, the more they would want to stop. We will continue until the desired result is achieved, we want the government to initiate proliferation of sale of drugs, and during this week the different technical groups (in PSN) will go to different areas of Lagos to talk about this same thing.

    In his words, the Publicity Secretary of the body, Kola Sunmonu, said: “The 2018 Pharmacy Week is a special one; we are reaching out to people on the street which this drug abuse is affecting.

    “The Pharmacist Council, which is the regulatory authority for practitioners, needs the help of government by funding the pharmacist council properly and ensuring that there is adequate monitoring and control. The National Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) also needs to up its games, because drugs are being hawked like chewing gums and candies; this is bad and the government should up its game on enforcement and regulation.’’

  • Pharmacists tackle drug abuse

    The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) has reiterated its commitment to tackling drug abuse.

    Its President, Ahmed Yakasai stated this during a training for reporters in Lagos.

    It was part of activities by the society marking the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking

    According to Yakasai, drug abuse has reached unprecedented level across all the geopolitical zones in the country.

    “The continuous loss of lives to drug abuse and misuse is really disturbing. This has really perturbed us as professionals. We have put up measures to tackle the menace. We have started with internal regulation and sanitising, which brought us to realise that out of about one million pharmacies operating in Nigeria, only 50,000 renew their licence annually,” he said.

    Yakasai unveiled a report of a  survey by PSN. In the survey titled: ‘’Pharmacists’ perceptions and knowledge and attitudes on the menace of pharmaceutical drug Abuse in Nigeria’’, the body said only 16 per cent of its members have received training on substance abuse disorders.

    Yakasai said the asociation’s Narcotics and Drug Abuse Committee had been educating people on the dangers of drug abuse. He called on the government and other stakeholders to pay more attention to the menace.

    “We believe that with utmost commitment from all stakeholders, we can reduce drug abuse to the lowest ebb in Nigeria. Our focus should be more on prevention of drug abuse as well as treatment of drug addiction in various parts of the country.”

    Yakasai said only 16 per cent of pharmacists have been trained on substance disorders, though 97 per cent have good knowledge of drug abuse as a social problem.

    In the survey, he said, 86 per cent indicated that they could identify signs of drug abuse in addicted persons, but only 46 per cent are familiar with counselling techniques for persons addicted, while 24 per cent are familiar with treatment protocols for substance abuse disorders.

    Yakasai said in the face of the drug abuses, many pharmacies failed to renew their licences.

    The survey, he noted, identified factors boosting drug abuse to include peer pressure, cultism, open drug markets, inadequate regulatory control, inadequate logistics and prevalence of illegal medicine outlets and presence of drug hawkers.

    He also identified common drugs of abuse to include cough syrups with codeine, alcohol, diazepam, bromazepam, methamphetamine and amphetamine.

    According to the study, to tackle drug abuse, there should be capacity development on drug abuse and treatment protocols should be encouraged and enhanced, training for pharmacists, and pharmacy staff, regulators to reinforce regulatory control, institute audit trail for drugs manufactured locally or imported into the country, raise awareness of local drug abuse trends, document and report them by pharmacists.

    Others include the need to raise the level of control, drug abuse prevention should be instituted in the curriculum from primary schools, policy on rehabilitation of drug addicts should be established and disseminated, and more rehabilitation centres should be built.

    Specially designed prescription sheets should be designed and used for controlled medicines to aid documentation and control amongst others, the survey stated.

    He said banning or suspending marketing licences or sale of the products would affect the control or manage drug abuse as it would only result in drugs becoming more expensive as users and sellers go underground and become difficult to track.

    In his lecture titled: “Contemporary issues in healthcare delivery (drug abuse and misuse, AMR, fake and falsified drugs and drug distribution) and PSN,”  Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) Registrar,  Elijah Mohammed said drug abuse is a moral and mental health challenge.

    Mohammed listed the blocking the supply source as one way to stop drug abuse.

    He said once the new National Drug Distribution Guidelines (NDDG) takes off next January 1 and with good enforcement, it would reduce drug abuse.

    Represented by PCN Public Relations Officer (PRO), Peter Iliya, Mohammed added “There is no need to vilify or criminalise drug abuse and misuse or to stigmatise the victims; what the victims need is empathy, rehabilitation and re-orientation.

    “The phenomenon of antimicrobial resistance is of great concern. This is more so that even antibiotics that are considered the last arrows in our quivers in the war against microbes have already fallen victim to antimicrobial resistance. Rational use of antimicrobial agents is, therefore, very essential in the fight against antimicrobial resistance.”

    He added: “In Nigeria, the existence of open drug markets is a major source of falsified and fake medicines. However, at the centre of this menace is the issue of drug distribution in Nigeria. If we have a good, well-regulated and sanitised drug distribution system in Nigeria, fake and falsified medicines would be a thing of the past.

    “Drug distribution is a key and strategic component of any healthcare system. A healthcare delivery system lacks credibility and legitimacy without good drugs. It is therefore paramount for us to have a good drug distribution system that can guarantee safe, efficacious and affordable medicines across all levels of health care delivery in Nigeria.

    “For a long time, our drug distribution system has been in a shambles and disarray due mainly to poor regulation occasioned by absence of political will by successive Governments at the centre,” he added.

  • SGF seeks traditional rulers’ support to end killings, drug abuse

    SECRETARY to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Boss Mustapha has sought for the cooperation of traditional rulers to stop killings of innocent Nigerians.

    Mustapha noted that the traditional rulers and royal fathers have key roles to play for the success or failure of security administration.

    He spoke during his meeting with the traditional rulers at the SGF conference room, Abuja.

    He said: “I am highly delighted and honoured to have our royal fathers with us today. This meeting could not have come at a better time than now and I heartily welcome you.

    “As traditional rulers and royal fathers, it is generally believed that you hold the key to the success or failure of security administration in the country because you operate at the grassroots of the society and interact closely with people in their daily activities. You remain in the frontline of stakeholders in the business of peace-building in every community.

    “Peace-building promotes development, which in turn attracts investment to the country. As you are aware, the situation of peace and security in the country today deserves collective approach by the government, the traditional institutions, faith-based organisations and the communities.”

    According to him, the government would continue to support their efforts to deescalate communal conflicts that continue to inflict severe losses of lives and destruction of property.

    “It is critical that we continue to cultivate peaceful coexistence across the country for us to achieve our objectives of building a nation,” he said.

    Hailing them for the summit held last year in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, he said it would have addressed some of the issues facing the country.

    The SGF added: “We would be glad to see more of such noble initiatives at bonding the fragile unity caused by recent violent activities.”

    He drew the attention of the traditional rulers to the growing youth population in the country and the attendant rise in drug abuse/ criminal activities.

    Mustapha added: “I urge you as royal fathers to use your good offices to complement the efforts of government to stem the rising tide and save the future of our nation. There is no better place to begin than the grass roots.”

    The six-man delegation, representing the six geopolitical zones, was led by the Chairman Coordinating Committee and Etsu Nupe, His Royal Highness, Alhaji Dr. Yahaya Abubakar.

     

     

     

     

  • Lagos CP laments drug abuse effects on youths

    Lagos State Police Commissioner Imohinmi Edgal has lamented the effects of drug abuse on youths.

    He spoke at an event in Ikeja organised by a non-governmental organisation (NGO) Adorable Foundation International as part of activities to make the  United Nations International World Drug Day.

    Speaking at a lecture with the theme: ‘’A societal awareness  campaign  against drug abuse’’, Edgal, represented  by the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations), Mohammed Ali said the high crime rate in the country could be traced to drug abuse.

    According to him, curbing drug abuse is not what the Nigeria Police alone can handle.

    He praised the NGO for joining the campaign.

    According to him, the foundation should endeavour to take the campaign to the schools to educate youths on the consequences of drug abuse.

    Adorable Foundation International founder, Princess  Ada Okeke Amam commended the Lagos Police Command for their tireless effort at reducing drug abuse.

    According to her, it is in this light that the CP agreed to flag off the campaign.

    She appealed to law enforcement agencies, parents, teachers and other well-meaning individuals serious since the menace is destroying youths.

    She also appealed to clerics and other religious leaders to take the campaign to their various places of worship.

    According to her, if all hands could be on deck, the frightening scourge of drug abuse would be reduced to the barest minimum.

    The foundation took the campaign to major markets in Lagos State, such as Computer Village, Odun Ede Market, Lagos International Trade Fair Complex, among others, to educate traders on the evil effect of drug abuse.

  • World Drug Day: UNODC sensitises pupils, others on drug abuse

    THE United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has sensitised pupils  and others on drug abuse and related organised crimes in Nigeria.

    The campaign was organised to commemorate the World Drug Day on Tuesday at Victoria Island, Lagos.

    The theme for this year campaign is: “Vision of the Child”. It was aimed at listening to children and youths to help them grow healthy and safe from drug abuse.

    Speaking at the event, UNODC’s Project Officer William Wu Shiyin said the organisation was created to assist member states and others to roll back threats caused by drugs, transnational organised crimes in their countries.

    “Our objective is to support the Nigerian government in its efforts to fight illicit drug production, trafficking and use, curb related organised crimes, including counterfeit narcotics and psychotropic substances,” he said.

    However, to curb risk factor associated with the girl-child, UNODC will be launching “Techy girls’ initiative” next month. The initiative is a platform for educating the girl-child and making them innovative, creative as change-makers and productive through technology.

    The initiative adopted 17 change-makers, who are pupils from various schools present at the event as its pioneers.

    One of the beneficiaries of the initiative, Toluwanin Fayose, from CIS Lagos, was excited about the appointment.

    “I’m honoured and excited to be part of this and it is my belief that through technology, Nigeria will impact the global world positively,” she said.

    Fayose, who also showed her paintings depicting the situation of drug abusers in Nigeria, said: “In my work, I was trying to show that people who take drugs are not bad and should be listened to. My message is that people should care more for drug abusers and always be ready to listen to them.”

    In another interview, Miss Mmesoma Okonkwo, from Lead Forte College, Lekki, Lagos, said innovation and less use of drugs will create a sustainable economy, which in turn will lead to more job employment for the youth.

    UNODC also launched a movie – “Trapped” –  in response to global campaign against drug at the event.

  • UNODC, ministry, others to hold campaign against drug abuse

    THE United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in conjunction with the Federal Ministry of Health, law enforcement agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) will today hold a campaign against drug abuse.

    The event, billed for Victoria Crown Plaza, 292b Ajose Adeogun Street, Victoria Island, Lagos by 10am, is designed to commemorate the World Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

    Two representatives of the UNODC – its Project Officer, William Wu Shiyin and Project Officer, Outreach and Communications Sylvester Tunde Atere, dropped the hint when they visited The Nation‘s Corporate Office in Lagos yesterday.

    According to Shiyin, the project is part of UNODC’s ongoing campaign tagged: “Response to drug and related organised crimes in Nigeria”.

    Shiyin said the campaign, which is being sponsored by the European Union (EU), has  three major components – policy formulation, institution and capacity-building, and coordination.

    Shiyin said: “It started in December 2013 and will extend to 2019. It is likely to be extended beyond 2019. Tomorrow is the international day against drug abuse and we are partnering with NGOs to commemorate the day.

    “We are organising a campaign to this effect. The campaign is part of the organisation’s ongoing: “Response to drug and related organised crimes in Nigeria. 26 selected schools across have been invited for the programme.”

    Atere said 80 per cent of the Nigerian population below 45 are within the age bracket of drug abusers.

    “Hence, the issue of drug abuse is not a moral issue but evidence-based and health-based issues.

    “There is need for treatment and professional counselling, especially for drug abusers. Thus, there is need to build the capacity of drug and law enforcement agencies such as National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Police, Custom and Immigration officers, among others, to know how to tackle and enforce national and international laws to tackle drug abuse,” he said.

    Atere added that the UN agency has introduced human right component into drug law enforcement campaign by building the technical capacity of drug law enforcement agencies to deal with people with drug related problems and respect travellers as well as those they come in contact with at the airport.

    They added that it’s rather worrisome that drug addicts are mostly youth and that it should be a source of great concern to everyone.

    According to them, given the enormity of the damage of drug addiction to mankind, no effort should be spared to curb its menace.

  • “At age 15, I can stab you o” – drug abuse survivor recounts ordeal

    Drug abuse survivor telling her story during the youth empowerment phase of MTN Nigeria’s 21 Days Of Y’ello Care Campaign

    Tanioluwa, (real name withheld) is less than five feet tall with an almost childlike face and mien. Yet you could see it in the depth of her brown eyes, she had seen the rigours of life… and survived it.

    She shook a bit as she took the microphone, “I did not know that I will be nervous.” She clutched the microphone, standing in the hall at Community Senior College, Wasimi, Maryland, Lagos – to speak on Drug abuse. She seemed so young….

    Cross-section of students and MTN Nigeria staff at the Community Senior College, Wasimi, Maryland, Lagos during the youth empowerment phase of MTN Nigeria’s 21 Days Of Y’ello Care Campaign

    But when she opened her mouth, she recounted a sordid past that gripped us to our bones. She was a 20 year old young woman whose young life had been plagued by drugs, alcohol and more. She had become a notorious user at a tender age and she explained that there was no drug she hadn’t used – including the cough syrups that have become a depraved must-have.

    Her need to ‘belong’ with friends had pushed her to limits unexpected. And by the time she travelled to Abuja, she was beyond saving. She said that she could stab anyone; had fear for no one and she been to the police station numerous times to write statements to attest to the fact that if people died because of  her violent statements she would be held responsible for the death.

    At seventeen she had boyfriends of thirty to fifty years. She deteriorated, “I didn’t eat, bathe or sleep.” She spoke of one day realizing that she had to stop and that was the beginning for her…

    She shook for a few minutes towards the end of her talk. Regret was very apparent in her voice. The students of Community Senor College, Wasimi, Maryland, Lagos (where MTN Nigeria had brought the young girl to explain her experience with drugs) were engrossed in the ups and downs of her story. She warned them strongly not to try any form of harmful substance. That that was going to be the end of them.

    Cross-section of students and MTN Nigeria staff at the Community Senior College, Wasimi, Maryland, Lagos during the youth empowerment phase of MTN Nigeria’s 21 Days Of Y’ello Care Campaign

    A few people were too stunned to join in the rousing applause that ended her talk. You could see their questions, “She’s so young, can this be true?”

    Cross-section of students, MTN Nigeria staff and members of the Rhesus Solutions Initiative at the Community Senior College, Wasimi, Maryland, Lagos during the youth empowerment phase of MTN Nigeria’s 21 Days Of Y’ello Care Campaign.

  • Moghalu vows to fight poverty, drug abuse

    A PRESIDENTIAL aspirant on the platform of Young Progressive Party (YPP), Prof.  Kingsley Moghalu, has promised to reposition Nigeria’s economy and fight social vices like drug abuse and poverty, if voted into office in 2019.

    Moghalu, a former Deputy Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), faulted economic and social contract policies of the present administration and insisted that a lot need to be done to put Nigeria in its pride of place as “the giant of Africa”.

    According to Moghalu, who spoke during a town hall meeting with his Kano supporters at Aminu Kano Centre for Democratic Studies (Mambayya House), said the time has come to redeem Nigeria.

    The aspirant said: “This is the time to heal Nigeria. This is the time to wage war against poverty and drug abuse. This is the time to rebuild a nation and take it on the right part of economic prosperity.

    “This is the time for a technocrat that has physical and mental energy, a visionary leader that will not discriminate or marginalise against religious or ethnic divide to take over the mantle of leadership.”

    He promised to introduce a N1 trillion equity capital fund to boost entrepreneurial capital economy among teeming unemployed youths where they would engage in massive skills acquisition programme that would make them self-reliant and responsible citizens.

    At Emir of Kano’s palace, when he visited the monarch, Muhammad Sanusi ll, Moghalu lamented that the rate of poverty in Nigeria was a serious national security threat that could not be overlooked by any serious government.

    He said he was aspiring for the office of president for three reasons: to build a nation that would unite its citizens devoid of their religion and ethnic differences, to revive the nation’s economy and restore the country’s lost glory.

    “The rate of poverty, unemployment and drug abuse, especially among youth and women, is getting worst by the day. My vision is to wage a decisive war against these vices. I have an economic plan that is independent from oil. I have a one trillion ventured capital economic plan that will provide job opportunities to youths and women,” he stated.

    Emir Sanusi urged politicians to ensure that the 2019 general election was peaceful and noting that peace was the key to development and progress of every nation.

    Emir Sanusi also admonished politicians to allow electorates to elect leaders of their choice, saying under a democratic regime, everyone has a right to elect leaders of his choice.

    He added that it was not the contest that matters, rather the contribution a contestant could offer to improve the living standard of the electorates if elected.

     

     

  • Drug abuse as serial killer

    The abuse of different drugs and substances in Nigeria could be equated to the activity of a serial killer. Drug abuse cuts across religious and ethnic boundaries as well as social strata, ages and profession. It is eating deep into the fibres of the society. The media and other stakeholders have placed serious emphasis on this subject matter, especially on the high rate of abuse among youths. But it will be an act of self-deceit if we only point fingers at the “youths” alone.

    The frustrated house wife uses codeine or tramadol to escape the reality of the frustration in her marriage. The happily married wife who wants to impress her husband sexually also takes some stimulant to enable her feel ecstasy. The public speaker, politician, musician etc, also takes one form of stimulant to enable him/her face the crowd. The nursing mother who feels that her baby disturbs a lot takes some too and breastfeeds her baby to sleep not minding the health implication it has on her or the baby. The so-called religious one whose religion prohibits alcohol finds the use of drugs a convenient alternative especially since it is usually mixed with beverages and no religious Holy book condemns it.

    The youths and juvenile engage in drug abuse for reasons ranging from poor parental background, peer pressure to temporarily escape the realities of academic and societal pressures. It is interesting to know that the law enforcement agents and health workers who are key stakeholders in the fight against drug abuse are also victims of this serial killer. A close interaction with a nurse whom I observed is addicted to marijuana and how effective she carries out her job narrates her story: “It makes me very active in the hospital, I become more friendly with patients. In fact, my matron commends me for hard work each time I work under the influence of marijuana.”

    During my NYSC days in Katsina State, I met a senior officer with one of our law enforcement agencies who happened to be a ‘junky’ alongside some other law enforcement agents. On close observation, I observed that besides the fact that they are all law enforcement agents, they also share something else in common and that is their addiction to drugs such as injecting opium into the body, high intake of marijuana, codeine, tramadol and the likes. These are men who are highly respected in the society because of the ranks that they have attained in their places of work. One of them proudly told me that “they know us in NDLEA office; if I can’t get it in town, I will go straight to their office.” No wonder we have cases of stray bullets and harassment from our supposed protectors.

    It is high time Nigerians stood in solidarity and conquer this serial killer in the name of drug abuse just the way we stood in solidarity against Ebola because the catastrophe that drug abuse is about to cause in the society is worse than what most of us envision. It is not a problem of a few in the society as almost every household in the country has someone who is secretly or openly into drug abuse. Families will be torn apart because of the harm done by the junky or junkies in the family which might include but not limited to rape, stealing, murder, to mention a few.

     

    • By Ekpe Madonna Uchechi

    Department of Sociology

    Bayero University, Kano

     

     

  • China to promote drug testing using hair samples

    China’s health department will promote a drug testing method which uses hair instead of blood or urine samples to test for drug use, according to the developer, the Yunnan Institute for Drug Abuse.

    Southwest China’s Yunnan Province borders the notorious drug production base of Golden Triangle in south-east Asia and is a major front in China’s battle against drug crime.

    The Yunnan Institute for Drug Abuse said it had conducted the new test on 100 people, all new arrivals at the provincial drug abuse rehabilitation centre.

    Wen Pinyuan, Director of the Institute under the Provincial Health Department, said the test showed 93 per cent were morphine or methamphetamine positive.

    The result was the same as previous result from urine drug testing on the same group of people.

    “Compared with blood and urine samples, hair samples have the advantage of being more stable, easier to obtain and preserve,” he said.

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    Pinyuan said hair samples could preserve drug residue for weeks and even months, giving drug enforcement officers a larger time window to confirm a suspect is a drug user.

    In the first quarter of this year, Yunnan police seized 5,759.7 kg of drugs, up 31.4 percent year on year.

    More than 12,000 drug users were placed in mandatory drug rehabilitation programmes during the period, local authorities said.

    Pinyuan said the institute would continue to optimise the use of the hair drug testing technology, making it more accurate, feasible, and economical.

    NAN