THE DANGERS OF DRUG ABUSE

         A drug is a combination of medicine chemicals or substance formulated and prepared by chemists and pharmacists for the treatment or cure of different illness under the recommendation and supervision of medical doctors. Drugs are many; dispose in their simplicity and strength. There are drugs that people can walk into a drug store (chemists shop) and buy for use when attacked by minor health problems. The commonest of these drugs are analgesics Panadol, Aspirin, Pengo, Daga, Phensic, and other like cough syrup, vitamin C and so on forth. But antibiotic capsules, poisons, tranquilizers, Indian hemp, cocaine, heron and many more are not supposed to be taken without doctors prescription or in this absence a pharmacists recommendations.

         The dangers of self medical are very many and even common knowledge. The prevalence of drug abuse cases can be seen in more mental psychiatric cases. Some young and old people simply take some hard drugs just because they want to be high some people who were interviewed, reported to say, they feel like, they are on top of the world when they took drugs. Cases abound of people loosing their lives because of self prescription and wrong usage of drugs.

Continued use of hard drug leads t the production of mal-adjusted citizens –having mental and emotional problems that lead to unacceptable behavior like stealing, killing, raping etc. if we have to take seriously what our medical experts in various specialist hospitals are saying daily.

         Drug abuse is one of the major causes of rampart tragic accident on our highways. Some drivers take Chinese capsule, Ds, Indian hemp, syrup, cannabis which derails their senses. Families and the society suffer from losses in this connection. As a result of these thousands of people looses their valuable live.

The prevalence of and improper consumption of hard drugs is behind the increased rate of armed banditry. Most of our armed-robbers are taking drugs before they went for operation fragile or frail-looking/ cowardly Youngman and women become daring and ruthless after taking hard drugs and other stimulants this way, the society suffers a variety of harm and loses.

         Medical experts have been saying for some time now that drug abuse could be inducing acquired immune deficiency syndrome in some people. This means that wrongly used drugs can destroy the natural immune system that guards one against certain infection.

Drug abuse is a key contributor to the humiliation of Nigerian citizens and our national officials in foreign countries who are subjected to scandalous search and scrutiny. Several youths and street traders have been arrested on international rout such as American, Brazil, Malaysia, and Singapore revealing that they were recruited by drug barons. Some suspects were arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) with 20.850 kilograms of high grade cocaine with an estimate street value of 200 million. This destroys our international image and reputation.

         Anti-drug abuse campaign should be stepped up by the government and private citizens. The youth must be well enlightened on all the possible dangers of using any drugs wrongly. Security effort to detect and apprehend all illegal importers and users of hard drugs must be perfected; at times drugs are used to scrutinize people. Religions organizations must contribute to building a drug free society. It concerns us equally.