The Sunday Mail
Victoria Ruzvidzo
It may not be killing scores of people every day or accounting for some patients in the Intensive Care Unit, but drug and substance abuse has reached crisis levels in recent months.
Instead of getting better, following some interventions by the Government and other stakeholders, the situation seems to be getting worse and more complicated.
This demands more targeted and incisive action lest we lose a whole generation of youngsters to drugs. Zimbabwe has a youth demographic of 67 percent and research has shown that at least 58 percent of these are engaged in drug and substance abuse.
Over the past few weeks police have been conducting raids, confiscating large amounts of marijuana, crystal meth and cough mixtures, but the problem persists. Recent statistics from the police reveal that at least one tonne of marijuana, 8kg of crystal methamphetamine (crystal meth) and 5,5 kg of cocaine have been seized by the police since the beginning of the year.
Police have reported that Broncleer, ecstasy and ephedrine are some of the drugs being smuggled into the country.
To visualise a tonne of marijuana gives a grim picture of the state of affairs. A whole tonne! What of the amount that has already been consumed? Or that which remains hidden somewhere? How about other drugs. How many litres of broncleer or other cough mixtures have been consumed by the youths and to what end?
The situation has been compounded by the advent of the coronavirus and the attendant lockdowns.
This has brought with it apprehension, anxiety, fear, desperation, dejection and acute levels of uncertainty to the youths and adults alike. Youth facing the unforeseen and intractable pandemic, have resorted to toxic substances such as drugs and excessive intake of alcohol.
Adults have not been spared either, with job insecurity, domestic discord and a precarious future adding to a cocktail of stressors. These have seen stress levels rise exponentially. A significant number has turned to substance abuse, unwilling or unable to face the situation.
A research paper done by Vakai Matutu and Daniel Mususa showed that drug abuse in this country was already high even before Covid-19, but the disease has worsened the situation.
“The key findings indicate that prevalence of drug abuse is at 57 percent among young people, the most commonly abused drugs and substances are marijuana and alcohol. Peer pressure, breakdown of the family support system, limited knowledge about the effects of drug abuse and stress were identified as the major factors that drive substance and drug abuse among the youth. The criminalisation of the drug and substance abuse continues to make it difficult for young people to seek help when they suffer from the effects of the drug abuse,” said the paper entitled “Drug and Alcohol Abuse Among Young People in Zimbabwe: A Crisis of Morality or Public Health Problem”.
Africa in general is experiencing rising drug and alcohol abuse, with statistics showing that more than 15,3 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa suffer from drug disorders.
The Institute of Security Studies says the numbers of those engaged in drug and alcohol abuse will rise by more than 150 percent by 2050.
A prevalence rate of 57 percent in Zimbabwe is quite disconcerting.
The Government, policymakers, the academia, civil society and other stakeholders need to urgently caucus and come up with more effective solutions to reduce drug abuse.
Hundreds of high school and college students have fallen prey to drug abuse while some school leavers have become major drug peddlers or drug lords operating in the underworld. Peer pressure has led to many “innocent” youths falling into the drug web and are unable to extricate themselves.
Yesterday I heard of a sad story where a woman in her 60s hired a young man of 19 to tend her garden, but one day she found him lying on the ground almost unconscious. When he eventually came round the next morning, he confessed he was addicted to drugs and was failing to stop taking them.
The granny fired him. So you can imagine the young boy’s future. Boys his age are supposed to be either in college or gainfully employed somewhere.
Last week our sister paper The Herald carried a feature in which a woman told a story of how her twin boys aged 22 had abandoned university for drugs. They are now staying at a drug house in Mbare. They used to come home occasionally, but now they spend months away. Sometimes they only pitch up to steal valuables which they sell to sustain their addictions.
Africa in general is experiencing rising drug and alcohol abuse, with statistics showing that more than 15,3 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa suffer from drug disorders
This is sad from all fronts. One was in his final year studying law while the other was in his third year doing Urban Planning. The mother had dreams for his young boys and they themselves had ambitions, but all these seem to have been wiped off by drugs.
The above cases are just a few of the many cases of drug abuse that families and society at large have had to endure.
The family unit is under threat while Zimbabwe may not enjoy to the full extent, the benefits of having a high youth demographic. At least 67 percent of the population are young men and women aged between 16 and 40.
Ordinarily this is an amazing advantage that should yield major economic benefits. However, these are being threatened by rising drug abuse. That the situation is even more dire is not news. It is all there for everyone to see. Youths are seen milling around street corners indulging. Many now do it publicly while others present the evidence in the manner they walk, talk, or freeze for days.
The addiction is wasting away tomorrow’s leaders, engineers, innovators, pilots, teachers, doctors, professors and all. This has ceased to be an individual nor community problem, but a national one that needs to be addressed with haste.
Most of the private rehabilitation centres dotted around the country are said to be full with young men and women struggling with addiction.
Is this a reflection of the disintegration of the family unit or is this a sign of growing moral decay? Is the young population facing social challenges that only drugs can provide the escape route, albeit a temporary and dangerous one? Is it a foreign culture that we have adopted and perfected?
The current situation is untenable and spells disaster. The young ones are doomed unless we put our heads together to find solutions to this challenge.
Possible solutions
The church, schools, colleges and society in general need to step to the plate and deal with this issue. Resources need to be deployed towards fighting drug abuse. Not just finds, but time, knowledge and information. Some experts say idleness among the youths has compounded the situation. In this instance, entrepreneurial sills need to be imparted into the youngsters so that they are actively engaged hence not much idle time on their hands.
The private sector needs to create more employment opportunities to absorb some of the youths that have not been accommodated in the marketplace.
Peer pressure via social media or in respective communities has been blamed for fuelling abuse. This behoves the need to constantly educate our children, even from a young age about the dangers of drug abuse and the consequences, some of which are difficult to reverse.
Family structures need to be tightened while traditional leaders have to be accorded their rightful place so they can help rid their respective communities of triggers of drug abuse.
Absentee parenting has failed a number of teenagers who find themselves having to deal with difficult situations in the absence of their parents. Many have become too busy for their children while hers have gone abroad to fend for their families, exposing them to the vagaries of life.
Collective solution to tame drug abuse can be found so that Zimbabwe benefits from its youth demographic. Africa is billed as the best economic growth region based on its youth demographic. This needs not be compromised by drug and substance abuse, hence the need to move with haste.
In God I Trust!
Twitter handle: @VictoriaRuzvid2; Email: [email protected]; [email protected]; WhatsApp number: 0772 129 992.
