DRUG ABUSE AND IT’S EFFECT IN ANAMBRA STATE
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
According to Wikler (1961:78), drug addiction, “is the overwhelming involvement with use of drug, getting an adequate supply of it and a strong tendency to resume use of it after stopping for a period”. Also the Encyclopedia of the Social Science (Vol.9, 2000: 143) captured drug addiction as “behaviourial pattern of compulsive drug use characterized by an overwhelming involvement with procurement and use of the drug and the high tendency of the user to relapse to drug use after a period of abstinence”. Consumption of psychoactive substances is an age- long phenomenon. In all known history and culture, psychoactive substances like alcohol, kola-nut and cannabis etc have been in use for several reasons- energizer, elevation of mood, reduction of hunger, stress, and anxiety.(James, 1999: 67, Reids, 2006: 347). The use of psychoactive substances like alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, heroin, etc initially was perceived as normal especially when used moderately for medication and in social settings.
In America, Asia and Europe, these substances were used for energizer and food; for instance in San Francisco, Thio (2003: 289) documented the wide use of cannabis by Chinos labourers for prolonged farming activity in their plantation. Similarly in Peru, Boliva and France, there were extensive use of opium, cocaine, cannabis etc for treatment of several ailment like stomach disorder, headache, fatigue body pain and above all to wade off hunger (Mamman, 1993.). The wide acceptance and use of these drugs resulted to devastating consequences like morphine addiction among veteran soldiers, escalated theft, homicide, proscumity, etc (Cornwell,& Cornwell, 1997). Sequel to this development, multifaceted programmes like drug demand and supply reduction programme, drug education, drug treatment and rehabilitation centers were put in place to tackle the scourge of drug addiction and its associated problems in America, Asia, and Europe. In Nigeria, the psychoactive drugs known and used were limited to those most available locally like kola-nut, alcohol and tobacco.
