WORLD HEALTH DAY AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE
The World Health Day is marked on April 7 each year. The day was designated under a sponsorship of the World Health Organisation (WHO) to enhance awareness and draw worldwide attention to a subject of major importance to global health.
In 1948, the WHO held the First World Health Assembly. The assembly decided to celebrate April 7 of each year, with effect from 1950, as the World Health Day.
The WHO organises international, regional and local events on the day related to a particular theme. World Health Day is acknowledged by various governments and nongovernmental organisations with interest in public health issues. The theme for this year is Depression.
When did the substance abuse come to existence?
The use of psychoactive substances of natural origin has been known since prehistoric times. For centuries, man has tried to either complement some pleasant features of life or escape from the unpleasantness of life, whether real or imaginary, by using fermented liquor and different plant products.
For example, drinking of palm wine and locally brewed alcohol such as “ogogoro”, “burukutu” as well as chewing of different stimulating plants and their products in Nigeria have been known for years. Reports indicated that the use of these substances were more of occasional and in moderation with few exceptions. This was the trend of substance use in Nigeria until after the Second World War in the 40s when cannabis (hemp) was introduced through the war veterans who brought back the cannabis seed from India. The 70s and 80s witnessed the introduction of other drugs like cocaine, heroin, amphetamines and pharmaceutical opioids (codeine, morphine, etc).
This trend changed dramatically in the 90s to include the abuse of non-conventional drugs such as volatile solvents or inhalants (gasoline, correction fluid, rubber solution, aerosol, nail polish removal, kerosene, petrol, and bytul nitrate). These volatile solvents produce psychoactive vapour which when inhaled goes straight from the nose to the brain, heart and lungs with instant intoxication and diverse consequences.
Today, the quality of intelligence has been introduced into drug abuse with complex mixtures, experimentations and new discoveries. This has resorted to the abuse of lizard dung (especially the whitish part), pit toilet/soak away fumes (bio generic gas), “goskolo” a concoction of unimaginable substances, robin blue powder cocktail, “gadagi” (a substance resembling tea leaves), pharmaceutical products (tramadol, rohypnol) and many more. Codeine containing cough syrup mixed with soft drinks is gradually taking over alcohol in youth parties. Due to new technologies which have improved the mass production of some of these drugs, many of them have become very cheap and therefore affordable.
Unfortunately, the presence of new substances of abuse are usually not detected until someone suffering from the consequences visits the hospital for treatment or law enforcement personnel intercept or seize a supply of suspected substances. Substance abuse in Nigeria and the new trend is becoming a significant medical, psychological, social and economic problem facing the nation.
Meanwhile, substance abuse destroys lives and communities, undermine sustainable human development and generate crime. Drug abuse affects all sectors of society in all countries; in particular, it affects the freedom of development of young people - the world’s most valuable asset. Substance abuse is a grave threat to the health and well-being of nations, the structure of all societies and the dignity and hope of millions of people and their families.
More worrisome is the increasing number of secondary school and tertiary institution students who are getting involved in drug abuse. These are the future leaders of Nigeria.
What will the future of the nation be if it’s supposedly future leaders are drug addicts?
Five major predisposing factors to drug abuse among students are peer pressure, curiosity, ignorance, academic induced frustration and lack of parental care. Adolescence and young adult are characterised by new identities/peer selection, adventurism, curiosity, excitement and role confusion. When students are not well guided, either by the home or school, they choose wrong peers which will lead to experimenting with drugs.