COMMENT: Youths drug and substance abuse now a national problem

Bulawayo is facing a growing challenge of drug and substance abuse among its young.

We reported yesterday that Ingutsheni Central Hospital attends to at least 250 patients, most of them youths who abuse drugs and substances.

We are thoroughly worried that, according to statistics from Active Youth Zimbabwe, a drug treatment and rehabilitation organisation, the average age of substance use initiation in the province is between 13 and 14 years.

Ingutsheni clinical director Dr Wellington Ranga said:

“This issue of drug abuse is problematic and really it is the role of the community to bring an end to this. So far, we see about 250 patients a month who are addicts, some we treat and some we admit but a majority of them always relapse.

“We may lose the battle as these drugs which start with alcohol and entry point are accessible. As long as people continue to drink alcohol, people will always find their way to abuse drugs.”

Drug and substance abuse is wider than Bulawayo, we must say. It is a national challenge. Facing the same challenge as Bulawayo, stakeholders in Matabeleland South, led by the Government have formed a taskforce to address the problem.

Acting director for social development in the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Mr Tawanda Zimhunga said drug abuse was rampant especially in mining and border towns.

“The problem is drug abuse is escalating throughout the country and this is greatly affecting development of the economy. This problem is most rampant among the youth but it’s also affecting adults. Against this background, Government has directed that all efforts must be made in order to address the supply of drugs,” he said.

“Mining towns are one of the major hotspots because some people who work in mines are supplied with drugs to gain extra strength to do their work. Border towns are also a hotspot as they are an entry point for people who smuggle drugs hence the need for increased surveillance at the borders.”

Given the magnitude of the problem, we run the risk of losing a whole generation to drugs and substances. There are the old ones and new ones that come in unlikely forms and potencies – the cough syrups, crystal methamphetamine and so on that users take, in some cases through light bulbs they steal from homes or pick up from rubbish dumps.

We hear that some drugs make a user sleep for a day or make one to just sit there for long periods. Dire consequences often follow. Drugs can damage one’s health. Addiction can cause one to go to extremes – including committing dangerous crimes – for them to get their next supply.

Therefore, urgent measures to tackle the growing challenge are necessary.

It is good that President Mnangagwa, on National Youth Day last month, declared war against the menace. He also announced the setting up of a fund to fight drug abuse.

It is also good that the Government has started setting up structures to scale up the anti-drug fight as the formation of the Matabeleland South taskforce shows. Other provinces must move with speed to establish similar structures.

We have a feeling that the strategy being executed this time will assist in sobering up our people. In the past, we did not have a dedicated fund to campaign against drug and substance abuse.

Also, we didn’t have a Government-led structure as the one set up in Matabeleland South, and soon to be created in other provinces.

We tended to rely on non-governmental organisations and donors to spread messages discouraging people from using drugs and psychoactive substances.

We want the taskforces to be really visible on the ground. They must cascade into communities, schools, social clubs and so on spreading the word that there is nothing cool about consuming drugs and substances. They only destroy, sicken and kill.

We urge parents and guardians to be more vigilant over their children and charges, discouraging them from taking drugs and substances.

In cases the young ones are already taking them, we ask parents and guardians to immediately take them to health centres so they can access treatment.

School authorities need to be involved too noting that initiation to the intoxicants is normally during school years.
But youths themselves and those who are older must heed the message against drugs and substances.