DRUG AND DRUG ABUSE.

Urban centres in Kenya are growing at exponential rate and majority of dwellers are young people exposed to drug abuse behaviour. Such behaviour is prevalent among urban dwellers and attention must be given by the governments and other social watchdogs. Given this scenario, we need to understand more about substance abuse with basic aim of how to eradicate the vice. We need to know how social setups respond to the effects exposed by drug abuse and how the government activities discourage and handle such cases. Drug and drug abuse is a thorny issue among city dwellers that requires concentrated attention, engagement of social and government setup to try and cub it effects and ultimately eradicating it.

A drug, broadly speaking, is any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function. In pharmacology, a drug is a chemical substance used in the treatment, cure, prevention, or diagnosis of disease. Recreational drugs are chemical substances that affect the central nervous system. There are three main categories of drugs highly abused in various ways. They are:

Stimulant: Stimulants are drugs that stimulate the brain and central nervous system, speeding up communication between the two.

Depressants: Depressants slow down the activity of the brain and nervous system, slowing down the communication between the two.

Hallucinogens: Hallucinogens interfere with the brain and central nervous system in a way that results in radical distortions of a user’s perception of reality.

In urban setup, there are many conduit of accessing drugs not necessarily for medication purpose but rather for the dreaded purpose; abuse. Young people in these areas find themselves in an awkward position more so due to the raising unemployment and related social issues. Many are recruited to traffic drugs and many of them happen to be doing drugs and related substance abuse. There are various problems associated with drug abuse, ranging from rise in social crimes to health complexities.

The issue of drug abuse can be handled first by addressing the causes: unemployment, peer pressure, media influence, poor upbringing are among the causes of drug abuse. This means their effects can also be combated successfully. This essay looks at some of the effects of drug use on society, and suggests some solutions to the problem. The medical and psychological effects are very obvious. Addicts cannot function as normal members of society. The second effect is on crime. However, the menace of drugs can be fought. Education is the first battle. Children need to be told at home and in school about drugs. People need to be aware of the effects so that they can avoid this problem. A second approach is to increase police manpower and powers to stop dealers and to enforce the law. However the main target should be the user. Families and counsellors need to talk to children and people at risk.

In conclusion, although the problem of drugs may seem impossible to eliminate, there are concrete steps that can be taken to weaken the hold of drugs on society. The danger from drugs is too great to ignore. Using the combined efforts from our social setups and the government activities, we should be able respond to the effects exposed by drug abuse as well as discourage such cases.

References:

1.http://en.wikipedia.org

2. www.nacada.go.ke

3. http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/drug