Extent of Drug Abuse in the Northern Region of Nigeria

Abstract

Drug abuse is a social problem globally, understanding the extent of abuse is important to tackle this problem. A population of more than 30 million people suffer from drug use disorder. Drugs of abuse can be classified into three category- illegal drugs (cannabis, cocaine, and heroin), prescription drugs (cough syrups, tramadol) and new psychoactive substances (madaransukudaye, volatile substances). This study was conducted between the period of February-July, 2017 to determine the frequency of intake, effects of abusing drugs, reasons for abusing drugs, family response and the cultural perception of drug abuse. Three hundred and fifty (350) questionnaires were administered to drug users on the major streets, psychiatric hospitals and rehabilitation centres of seven states (Kaduna, Sokoto, Borno, Niger, Kano, Katsina and Jigawa state) from Nigeria. All respondents admitted to daily intake of all the drug classes (traditional drugs, prescription drugs and new psychoactive substances) at a frequency of 1-2 times daily. Elevation of mood was generally reported to be the effect they encountered after abuse. The commonest reasons among others for abusing drugs was ‘to stop worrying’. The family of the drug abusers were completely sad and culturally drug abuse is not acceptable in the society. There is need for more awareness and sensitization on the harmful effect of drugs in the society.