Defuse time bomb of drug abuse among youth

Last week, the Daily Nation published a lengthy report with saddening revelations of how Kenya has degenerated into a drinking nation with a staggering 27 million Kenyans affected.

Poor upbringing, joblessness and hard economic times has made life insipid for many with the youth, the most affected, turning to drugs to seek solace. Marijuana (bhang) and illicit liquors are the leading intoxicants the youth mostly abuse.

We are staring at a generational crisis as the youth abuse drugs with abandon. Disintegration in moral values has got us teetering on the brink of a precipice. It is a no-brainer that our society is ailing. Special efforts are needed to mitigate this unusual pandemic and alleviate a catastrophe.

First, sensitisation campaigns and guidance are required in schools to enable teenagers to rise above their self-inflicted mental shackles. Many get entangled in addiction as they take drugs to keep up with their peers and enjoy the supposed exhilaration of not being left out by their mates or seen as inferior.

The enchanting culture of ‘kupiga sherehe’ (unrestrained partying) reigns supreme among the Gen-Z and millennials. Many, unable to do it within the limits of sanity, have become zombies.

Secondly, the government must make deliberate efforts to create jobs and an enabling environment for youth-led enterprises to thrive.

Thirdly, the authorities must intensify crackdowns on drug barons and peddlers and establish rehabilitation centres for those addicted. Officers who work in cahoots with drug traffickers and abet the life-threatening crime must be brought to book.

Fourth, society must shun cultural beliefs and practices that endear teens, especially boys, to drug abuse. The traditional society perceives boys 12-18 as men’, especially after initiation. That leaves them with little or no parental guidance and they wallow and muddle through life on their own, hence temptations.

Fifth, the youth must be on the lookout to avoid being misguided on social media. Most celebrities they regard as their mentors display wanting behaviour that, if copied, can lead them to peril.

Sixth, the clergy should lead the noble fight by guiding the youth.

Timothy Mwirichia, Meru