NDLEA Seeks Collaboration Against Drug Abuse

Authorities of the National
Drug Laws Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have appealed to parents, churches, and school authorities to partner with the agency in its campaign against illicit drug consumption in the society.
The Head, Drug Demand Reduction Unit, Rivers State Command, Mrs Stella-Maris Amede made the appeal in Port Harcourt at a sensitisation Programme on drug addiction organised by a Non- Governmental Agency, His Devine Touch Family Initiative (HDTFI).
Stella-Maris who raised alarm at the level, strategy and wide dimension the issue had reached said the situation required active collaboration to tackle the problem.
The Unit Head said the issue of drug abuse had shifted from the common intake of Indian Hemp, Cocaine, Heroin and other costly substances to sniffing of tire gums, correction fluids and even petrol.
According to her, it is no longer an adult issue, children in both nursery and primary schools are getting involved.
She also linked most antisocial behaviours in the society today such as armed robbery, cultism, violence, rape amongst others to the effect of illicit drug intakes and pointed out that all hands must be on deck to tackle the menace.
In his public lecture, a Neuro-Psychatric doctor, Dr. Chike Timothy, said most of the problems attributed to spiritual attacks were as a result of drug abuse.
The medical expert who works with Meridian Hospital Port Harcourt said “abuse of what is termed common drugs may also lead to drug abuse with negative effects on the health of those who take them.
“Some house wives even put cannabis in the food they serve their husbands to make them agile and happy. This leads to hallucination in the husbands and continuous usage compounds mental health”, he said.
He also alerted that some of the Abokis who sell cigarettes, also sell drugs and advised “parents to watch who their children move or mingle with as peer influence powers the spread of addition”

Chris Oluoh & Lydia William