Take decisive action to fight rising drug abuse
Drug and substance abuse is a grave challenge facing the country today. And this is not all. The country is also grappling with alcohol abuse, which has left many young people in a vegetative state.
The situation is getting out of hand and calls for immediate comprehensive action or the country could be headed for the abyss.
According to the National Campaign Against Drug Abuse (Nacada), one in six Kenyans aged 15 to 65 is abusing at least one drug. A Nacada survey has shown that 4.73 million Kenyans are abusing drugs.
The majority are, of course, men, at 3.78 million. Also, one in every eight Kenyans aged 15 to 65, or some 3.2 million people, are abusing alcohol, with 2.5 million of them being men. Prescription drugs are also being abused, with one in every 500 Kenyans aged 15-65, or a total of 60,407, using the medicines without doctors’ prescriptions.
Mark you, the most productive group in the population is found in this segment. The economic implications are simply daunting. People who should be out there producing to build the economy are wasting away and the cost of medical care continues to rise.
It could not get worse than this. Children are getting initiated into the deadly culture, some as young as six years. The number of those using cannabis sativa has doubled in the past five years.
It is not enough to just give grim statistics. Nacada plans to use the results from its latest survey for interventions to promote healthy lifestyles and curb drug abuse by establishing rehabilitation centres in all 47 counties.
What is really needed is a comprehensive plan to fight drug abuse throughout the country. It must begin now, and with the creation of awareness and sensitisation of all people, but especially youth, who are more vulnerable, and easier to lure into the vice.
The authorities must take firm action against drug dealers, their couriers, and all other characters along the illicit procurement and distribution chain. The campaign to stem the supply of these deadly substances must be stepped up.
The masterminds and their accomplices must be tried and if convicted, handed deterrent sentences.
