A Peep into 'Youth Against Drugs'
Without an iota of doubt the menace of drug abuse and its attendant implications is an analogical hydra that has eaten very deep into the fabric of our society at large with emphasis on the youth fraction of the population.
It is with a very deep sense of urgency that I speak to you at the moment, as the deleterious effect of drug abuse is currently assuming unprecedented proportions.
We see its effects daily in accidents, early teenage pregnancies, transmissions of STDأƒآ¢أ¢â€ڑآ¬أ¢â€â€Ø¢Â¢s including HIV/AIDS, reckless behaviour and act of arson and murder crisis, psychiatrics cases and outright death directly as a result of drug over dose, just to mention a few.
By virtue of the very limited period for this presentation and for the benefit of adequate clarity within the allotted time frame, I have adopted a condensed approach.
In other words, rather than speaking exhaustively I will be offering a general overview if the subject which I believe while being sufficient for the purpose of satisfying this audienceأƒآ¢أ¢â€ڑآ¬أ¢â€â€Ø¢Â¢s quest for knowledge will also go a long way in providing you with adequate information with which to wage war against drug abuse in our communities and nation at large.
Taking my cue from the theme, Youths and drug abuse, I will proceed by defining youth as persons within the age bracket of (18-40) years. But let us not be mentally restricted in this regards as I personally believe youthfulness to be a state of the mind.
Cicero said, أƒآ¢أ¢â€ڑآ¬أ…“As I approve of a youth that has something of the old man in him, so I am no less phased with an old man that has something of the youth in him. He that follow this rule may be old in body, but can never be so in mindأƒآ¢أ¢â€ڑآ¬أ‚آ‌.
Therefore transcending the age categorization I أƒآ¢أ¢â€ڑآ¬أ‹إ“d like you to view youthfulness as a period of insatiable curiosity and an endless urge for experimentation with fresh ideas.
Drugs on the other hand are substances which when taken are capable of altering the state of equilibrium of the body; (here I add, either positively or negatively, depending on its mode of usage at any particular time.
Broadly speaking there are 2 classes of drugs i.e.
(1) The naturally derived and
(2) The artificially derived drugs.
In the past most of the drugs that were used, were made from plants which were grown and then converted into drugs such as Cocaine, Heroin and Cannabis.
In the 20th century, however people found out how to make drugs from chemicals, and these are called man- made drugs e.g. speed, LSD and ecstasy to mention a few.
Drug abuse simply put is the abnormal use of drugs. It encompasses all usage of drug in exclusion of a doctorأƒآ¢أ¢â€ڑآ¬أ¢â€â€Ø¢Â¢s prescription .It has several components including;
(1) The drug name.
(2) Dosage
(3) The frequency of administration and
(4) The duration of administration.
I therefore put it to you that one valid point or the other, the majority if not all of us are defaulters in drug usage and are therefore guilty of drug abuse, each to his/her own varying degree. So we can avoid being merely oratorical with next no substantiation to our words, in terms of impact through exemplified guidance, by putting a stop to our drug-abuse related activities.
A brief discuss on the commonly abused non-prescription drugs is in order at this point. Please be rest assured that I wonأƒآ¢أ¢â€ڑآ¬أ¢â€â€Ø¢Â¢t bore you with extensive academic details which will be of little or no practical value to you for application within the limits of your jurisdiction.
For the naturally derived drugs I would be discussing cannabis, Cocaine and heroin with extrapolation to all their derivatives, while for the artificially derives I have picked, amphetamine ecstasy and inhalants/solvents. Particular attention should be accorded marijuana and inhalant/solvent as they have cheaper and more readily available when compared to the others, in each respective category and so are more commonly abused in our immediate environment (Kano metropolis and its environ).
