Drug abuse among youths has been a general and constant issue that requires urgent attention because it hurts society. In an ordinary definition, the drug can be regarded as the various medicines prescribed by physicians to cure, suppress, or prevent certain ailments or diseases in the body.
Certain drugs that should be the source of illnesses or diseases have, unfortunately, now turned out to be a problem in society.
According to the generic meaning, a drug refers to any chemical substance which, when taken into the body or applied externally, has a specific effect on its functioning.
It also refers to any such substance, especially one that is abused, habitual, addictive, and possession of which is illegal. In other words, drug abuse is seen as an illegal substance that people swallow, smoke, or inject to make them feel happy or excited.
A drug is also seen as a substance used as a medicine to treat or cure an ailment. However, the drugs are in most c, cases abused when youth wrongly take them without a prescription from medical experts.
Many youths commonly abuse these: drugs, cannabis, cocaine, Indian hemp, etc. When these prohibited drugs are taken in excess into the body, they cause their victims to suffer a lot of pr, which will be outlined behavior.
Dangerous Effects of Drug Abuse in Our Society These Days
The media has taken the issue of drug abuse as a constant discussion all over the world in recent times. The effects of this evil are now alarming in every sector of our society. The various effects of these nefarious acts have been discussed below.
1. Hard drugs can shorten lives.
On the part of the individual, excessive drug abuse can shorten one’s life span. Many adolescents who engage in the use of hard drugs have suffered from damage to certain fragile parts of the brain or inner organs.
This has led to excessive bleeding and eventual death. These problems happen because drug addicts do not adhere to prescriptions when taking drugs.
2. Hard drugs lead to various crimes.
The illegal use of drugs among youths who fall within the adolescent stage has led to a high rate of criminal activities in society.
After taking these drugs, they lose control of their actions and can engage in any criminal act without realising its consequences. They can kill, maim, or destroy what they would have preserved.
Many crimes committed these days can be attributed to drug abuse. The incessant occurrence of criminal activities is an indication of the danger inherent in drug abuse these days.
For instance, armed robbers and the like operate under drug influence, which makes them bold and ruthless in their nefarious activities. It is glaring that drug abuse has caused a lot of danger to our society, and which government should urgently do something to nip the problem in the bud.
3. Drug dealing or pushing stays the image of a nation.
Drug abuse by our youth has blackened the image of many countries. On several occasions, Nigerians who travel in or out of the country are subjected to search and screening because of the barbaric practice of some recalcitrant youths who hide inside their luggage.
4. Self-medication or excessive drug intake injures the body system.
The indiscriminate use of drugs among the populace without following doctors’ prescriptions has had a lot of negative effects on the lives of the perpetrators, including physical and mental imbalances.
Drugs are misused or abused if one takes more than the recommended doses. Also, when one uses the drugs wrongly to achieve an intended result, they are abused.
Youths commonly indulge in taking hard drugs whenever they want to carry out any arduous task so that they can have extra strength. But these drugs are eventually injurious to the body and health of perpetrators.
5. Excessive intake of drugs leads to body malfunctions.
There are lots of dangers in drug abuse. Drug users sometimes take drugs to enhance their performance in sporting activities. They make them stay awake when preparing for examinations or other events. It is common these days to see young children with one deformity or the other.
6. Hard drugs lead to psychiatrists.
Drug abuse also results in severe psychiatric cases we record around the country these days. Youths who take hard drugs tend to have mental problems, which subsequently land them in psychiatric hospitals.
Ways to Reduce Drug Abuse in Our Society
If there are issues and problems, solutions should be sought. And there is no problem without solutions. There are solutions and ways to reduce drug abuse in our society if they are sincerely monitored. Some of them are discussed below.
1. The intervention of the media
Therefore, mass enlightenment campaigns should be organised by media such as radio, television, newspapers, magazines, press releases, etc.
2. The intervention of the government
The government should also promulgate a law that will forbid the drug business in open marketplaces and by unauthorised hawkers and unlicensed medicine peddlers. The government, on its part, should make the curriculum reflect on the dangers of drug consumption.
Drug barons and peddlers should not only be arrested and detained. They should be tried and punished to serve as a deterrent to others. When these measures are implemented, the country’s image will be redeemed in the aspect of the misuse of drugs among our youth.
3. The intervention of the three arms of the government
The three arms of government, the legislature, the executive, and the judiciary, should intervene in the matter. The legislative bodies should make a law that will prohibit a chemist from selling drugs to people without a prescription from a doctor or a pharmacist.
After the enactment of this law, the executive bodies should implement it so that the law will not be useless. Then, the judiciary bodies should interpret the law by giving the appropriate punishment to any person caught in this offence or crime.
4. The intervention of religious bodies
Religious bodies also have a vital role to play in this matter. They should educate their members on the side effects of drug abuse and ensure that members are well-monitored in their activities.
However, there are measures to follow which can help reduce or eradicate these destructive practices by our youths. First and foremost, teenagers who engage in drug use should be educated about the dangers of the consumption of these drugs.
5. The intervention of parents
Parents and guardians also have a lot of roles to play concerning the proper upbringing of their children. Parents should closely monitor the things their children are doing, either at home or at school, because charity begins at home. Parents and guardians should monitor the activities of their children.
They should always find out the kind of peer groups their children keep. Also, they should be able to inculcate good morals into their children and make them realise the dangerous consequences of drug abuse on someone else’s life. Read the similar post on this page.
Editors
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