Kano Is Nigeria’s Drug Abuse Hot Spot – NDLEA

In Nigeria, the abuse of all types of
drugs has increased drastically over
the past decade. The nation’s youth
constitutes the group most at risk
from serious problems associated
with addiction. Kano, the largest city
in northern Nigeria, has the highest
rate of drug abuse in the country
according to the National Drug Law
Enforcement Agency (NDLEA)
figures for seizures of drugs,
convictions of drug dealers and
arrests of drug addicts.
In Kano State, 37% of the population
are drug abusers. The NDLEA has
warned of serious consequences to
society if the task of destroying the
culture of drug abuse and its supply
chain does not immediately begin to
bear fruit.
Saving a generation
Nigeria has made great progress in
stemming the supply of drugs with
high profile arrests of traffickers,
seizures of drugs, the destruction of
cannabis farms and closures of
laboratories used for the clandestine
manufacture of drugs. In 2013, 8,324
men and 529 women were
investigated after being suspected of
drug trafficking. Mrs Roli Bode
George, the NDLEA Director
General, said that her mission was
to vigorously pursue the Agency’s
vision of a drug-free society.
This is a problem that does not
discriminate between rich and poor,
old and young. Peer pressure is one
of the major factors that need to be
addressed in any effective
programme aimed at controlling
drug abuse, and mothers must
realise that from a very early age
children need to be watched
carefully for deviant behaviour and
be protected from the influence of
older children involved with drugs.
A war on many fronts
The abuse of drugs is not confined
to urban areas, and the NDLEA is
working alongside the United
Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
(UNODC) and the European Union
(EU) to ensure that services to help
addicts and users are also available
in rural areas and are up to
international standards.
Cannabis and Indian hemp are the
most commonly abused drugs in
Nigeria, although heroin, c*****e,
amphetamines, ephedrine and
ketamine are also brought in by the
traffickers, and there is a range of
products that are more easily
obtained and are cheaper and not
illegal, such as organic solvents,
cough syrups and horse stimulants,
all of which are unpredictable in
their effects and can be highly
dangerous. The so-called ‘bath salts’
contain the active ingredients
methylenedioxypyrovalerone
(MDVP) and cathinone—the latter is
a stimulant similar to amphetamine
and which is also found in Khat.
Bath salts are sold as a synthetic
hallucinogen, a cheaper substitute
for c*****e or LSD and which can
produce extreme paranoia and
violence in the user. An essential
part of the drug abuse problem is
that people who want to take drugs
as an escape for their lives will
reach for whatever is available,
ignoring the health risks.
Source:- Ack City News