ABSTRACT
This research is carried out to critically review the causes and consequences of drug abuse among secondary school students in Oredo Local Government Area, Benin City as a case study. To make this research a reality, questionnaires were administered to collect information, the information was collected from different places. The motive behind the research on the causes of drug abuse among secondary school students stem from the belief that students now engage more on drugs than before. This research also seeks to find out factors responsible for the causes of drug abuse in schools. The collected data though questionnaires were analyzed computed in percentages. And the following were seen as the major causes of drug abuse in schools; lack of parental care, failure of school system, social disorganization of parents, unlicensed drug stores, and peer groups influence.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Drugs have been used by man since his creation. According to Vender (1997:790) human beings have long history of using chemical comforters’ drugs to change their mood, feeling, or perception. Samuel (1974:50) indicated that “there has been no time in history that was free from man’s constant search for substance from the environment that he might use to alter his perception and feelings. Although drug use has been an important part of many cultures, a few societies like Nigeria have been concerned about misuse and abuse of drugs. Drug abuse is one of the social problems that confront almost every civilized society today. The drug problem is inherent in the social system and has exerted much pressure on individuals as well as various groups in the society. Drug abuse is like a cankerworm and has affected the future and well-being of many youths. It is sad to note that despite the harmful impact of drugs on the lives of people the abuse and trafficking of drugs has gained grounds and has occupied a prominent place within a large segment of our society.Odejide (1989:66) noted that those drugs which exert their biochemical effects on the brain leading to sedation and changes in human behaviour are known as “Psycho-active substance” or “hard drugs.” The use of such hard drugs when they are not medically prescribed or when administered in excess constitute the phenomenon of “drugs abuse”. The abuse of drugs can also occur when such uses of drugs result in the physical, mental, emotional or social impairment of the user.
According to Laurie (1967:63) drug is any chemical substances that alters mood, perception or consciousness and is misused, to the apparent detriment of the society. Bayh (1972:4)) defined drug as any chemical substance taken into the body in order to alter physical and psychological functioning of an individual. Drug identified as harmful are grown on farms in Nigeria, some quantity of these get consumed locally by criminals; other are used in interventional drug traffic. However, abuse of hard drugs is rampant among students in tertiary and secondary school in Nigeria. Odejide (1989:17) observed that drug abuse presents broad-spectrum of problems which affect the individual, his immediate family, and the society at large. Furthermore, the social impact of drug dependence include loss of job, loss of ones sense of responsibility, family disruption, school dropout, promiscuity and deliberate harm to oneself or others. It is pertinent to note that the abuse of psycho-active substances such as cocaine, cannabis and heroin, to mention just a few has assumed alarming proportion with current interest in illicit drug trafficking. Today, hard drugs easily find their way into the hands of most youths who are anxious to experiment with drugs. The inappropriate use of drugs can pose serious danger to man and society, since the rehabilitation, social
