The Sunday Mail
Phillipa Mukome-Chinhoi
Drug abuse is increasing among teenagers, youth and middle-aged people in Zimbabwe.
Drug abuse refers to the use of a substance that is prohibited or harmful to a person’s physical or mental well being.
It is also an intentional overuse of a substance to an extent that it has an effect to the psychophysical system of a human being.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), drug abuse refers to the harmful use of psychoactive substances which include alcohol and illicit drugs.
Substance abuse, as it is referred to in other quarters, leads to a dependency syndrome.
This means drug abuse leads to a cluster of behavioural, cognitive as well as physiological effects that develop after repeated substance use.
The desire to take a drug, difficulties in controlling its use and persistent use despite its harmful consequences is deemed as serious drug abuse.
Where drug abuse becomes a social phenomenon it leads to mental problems.
According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, Zimbabwean youths have been using prohibited substances on a much larger scale owing to rising unemployment.
Codeine, Broncleer, cannabis, maragada, musombodhiya, tegu-tegu and zed are some of the substances that local youths abuse the most.
Statistics from the Anti-Drug Abuse Association of Zimbabwe indicate that 43 percent of students that were interviewed knew of schoolmates who take drugs.
The Zimbabwe United Nations Association says 65 percent of Zimbabwean youths suffer from mental health due to substance and drug abuse.
Adolescent substance abuse has become a worldwide phenomenon due to a number of reasons.
All things being equal, those aged 19 to 35 should be preoccupied with their studies and other meaningful pursuits.
However, they are currently either out of school or unemployed due to the challenging economic environment.
According to YETT (Youth Empowerment & Transformation Trust), drug abuse in Zimbabwe has become a serious scourge among youths.
The causes of teenage drug abuse are many.
It could be because of an unstable home environment, domestic violence, poor relationships with parents and peer pressure.
Some youths are also exploratory and experimental in nature.
Parental guidance and care could, however, help prevent drug abuse.
Authorities could also help prevent drug trafficking.
From a community perspective, in order to restore normalcy, there is need to regulate the sale of drugs such as Broncleer that can be easily abused.
In addition to openly discussing these challenges, communities should also provide guidance and counselling programmes.
Further, the value of recreation and exercise should never be underestimated; this means recreation and exercise help to keep teenagers and youths occupied.
Educational programmes in schools should also help sensitise teenagers on the need to resist drug abuse.
But, the current rise in drug and alcohol abuse among youths is worrying as there has been a corresponding increase in drug-induced psychosis cases at the country’s hospitals.
In some communities, the sale of illicit drugs is so common that it is hard to believe it is illegal.
Since some of the drugs are pricier, the cheaper ones such as kachasu — a highly intoxicating home brew — tend to be more dangerous.
However, Section 157 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9:23 makes it illegal to possess, use, ingest, acquire, smoke, deal in, consume and cultivate drugs.
There is general consensus that there is a positive correlation between the high cases of moral decadence affecting youths and high levels of unemployment.
Girls have also been caught in the web, with some as young as 12 years reportedly frequenting beerhalls offering sexual favours in exchange for money.
A lot still needs to be done to stem drug abuse in schools.
Youths who use alcohol and other drugs persistently face an array of possible consequences.
At school, drug abuse often results in a lowered commitment to education, declining grades, absenteeism and possibly dropping out of school.
There are also health and safety consequences such as accidental injuries, physical disabilities, disease and possible overdose related to drug abuse.
Youths who use alcohol and other drugs often disengage from school and community activities because of their substance abuse, depriving their peers and communities of the positive contributions they might otherwise make.
Substance abuse also jeopardises many aspects of family life and may result in dysfunctional families.
The financial and emotional toll related to alcohol and drug-related crimes by youths is immense.
In their own way, some non-governmental organisations such as Active Youth Zimbabwe (AYZ) are working with students to help them fight drugs.
AYZ’s drug and awareness programme provides practical tools to educate young people and youths about drug and substance abuse.
