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The Impact Of Drug Abuse Among Youth
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CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.2 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Drug abuse among youths is a great problem that has speeded all over the world. In Jamaica, the use of drug abuse by youths has more increased over the decades in studying the drug usage patterns of Jamaican youths, discovered that while usage was not dependent on sex. In 1989, 78 percent of youths ( males) and percent of female were using one of the four drugs ( alcohol, marijuana, cocaine and tobacco) between 1994 and 1995, it indicates that 60 percent of the youths have tried one or more drugs, including marijuana, while 1.3 percent has used cocaine. (G Learnar, 2010), (Alexander etal, 2001).
Drug abuse is a complex issue and has been a serious public problem in Malaysia. Illicit substance use and drug relapse is an issue that continues to plague societies worldwide. The number of registered drug users is about 250,000 in a 2008 report, and is expected to reach half a million by 2015. There is also a worrying trend of high relapse rate of 50 percent, which has been consistently seen in the past decades. From January to September 2012, it was reported that there was a reduction in the number of new and repeated drug cases in Malaysia of 4053 and 2882 respectively (National Anti- Drug Agency, 2012).
Peer influences and curiosity are the top contributory factors to drug abuse. Malaysia is unlike any other parts of the world where drug abuse is attributed to mostly family factors such as parental behaviour, family relationships, home atmosphere and economic standing. The social pressure to belong, accepted and be part of a social group, especially in teenagers, prompts them to conform to their peer group, and start trying out drugs. (Dr Tam, 2010).
The tendency of using drugs as a coping mechanism against stress is increasing as well with the rise of drug users among professional groups. For example, college and university students often get involved in drugs due to peer and academic pressures. Opiates are the most commonly abused drugs, followed closely by cannabis and amphetamine-based stimulants, such as Adderall- a drug used to treat patients diagnosed with attention-deficit hyper-active disorder (ADHD). (Monashuniversity Malaysia, sept 2017).
In Zambia, marijuana is the most abused drug followed by volatile solvents and hard drugs such as heroin and cocaine (INCB, 1993).
Drug abuse is a worldwide problem. It affects all sectors of the society in all countries. In particular, it affects the freedom and development of youths who are the world’s most valuable asset. (UNODC, 2002).
The gravity and characteristics of this problem vary from region to region and country to country. In the recent past, drug abuse among young people has risen to unprecedental levels. According to the World Drug Report, a total of 180 million people abuse drugs worldwide, and the majority of these are youths. (Lakhampal and Agnihotri, 2007).
In response to the problem, the Drug Enforcement Commission and the Ministry of Education conducted preventive education in schools. The ministry has infused aspects of anti-drug and alcohol abuse facts into the school curriculum. However, in the recent years, there has been an upswing of drug abuse among pupils in Livingstone district. This development raised concerns in the community members who feared that this might put many pupils at risk of poor academic performance, behaviour problems and even contracting HIV. In view of the increasing levels of drug abuse, questions have been raised concerning whether the school-based preventive strategies put in place are working or not. To this effect, it was necessary to conduct a study of this nature. It was hoped that the findings of this study could add to the body of knowledge on impact of school-based preventive strategies for drug abuse among pupils. (Bangert-Drowns, R. L, 1988).
CHAPTER ONE -- [Total Page(s) 4]
Page 1 of 4
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