Awareness And Knowledge Of Drug And Substance Use Among 18-24 Year-old Female Adolesents
[A CASE STUDY OF SOWETO - KAYOLE]

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

The utilization of psychoactive substances is an old practice among individuals from around the globe. Liquor has been expended for its pleasurable impacts as far back as the early human settlements; cannabis, khat, coca leaves and opium poppy have been devoured in various social orders for a considerable length of time. In more recent times, be that as it may, conventional and regularly controlled utilization of these substances has offered path to a trickier example of utilization, a pattern that is associated with many social and health problems. More than that, the numbers of people who consume alcoholic beverages, smoke cigarettes and use illicit drugs have increased significantly.

Drug use is self-administration of drugs for non-medical reasons with the sole reason of being drunk or remaining “high”. In most cases, drug users often use large quantities of their drug of choice or a mixture of drugs (Forum for African Women Educationalists, 1990). Their use of these drugs is frequencies thereby impairing their primary body organs to function effectively and efficiently. Thus, frequent victims of drug abuse are highly susceptible to physical, social, mental, and/or emotional harm. Regardless of these health and social effects, drug abuse has remained a problem globally; however, it is increasingly becoming a concern of government and societies across African among other developing nations (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, 2007). Despite the attempts of the government and the societies’ efforts of eradicating the drug use among teenagers, the problem of drug abuse among adolescents in Kenya has increased drastically in recent years. Therefore, this research work aims at examining effects, possible solutions, and factors fueling drug and substance abuse, among the teenager girls in Soweto-Kayole Sub-Country in Nairobi County.

A drug is any chemical substance which when taken into the body through different ways of doing things can influence at least one of body abilities (to hold or do something) (Ochieng, 1986). This incorporates the substances that are helpful to the body, that is, the prescribed medicine and those that can harm the body especially illicit chemical substances or non-prescription drugs. Although prescribed medicine is useful and curative to ailments, when wrongly used it may lead to abuse and harm to the body (Huffman, Vernoy & Vernoy, 1994).

The main concern in today's society is the psychoactive drugs. They are defined as chemicals that affect the nervous system and cause a change in behavior, mental process and capabilities and conscious experience, (Huffman, et al, 1994). All through history, individuals have gulped, sniffed, smoked or taken into their bodies an assortment of chemical substances. All this is done to achieve alteration of moods, levels of consciousness or change of behavior. Today society is marked by increased consumption of substances like alcohol, tobacco, coffee, prescribed tranquilizers as well as illegal drugs such as bhang (cannabis sativa) marijuana, cocaine, miraa (khat) and heroine to name some of them, (Huffman, et ai, 1994).

The use of drugs and other substances are global historical phenomena. Many drugs that are currently used by female adolescents have been used in different parts of the world for different functions. Historically, traces of chemical substances have been used since the Stone Age period to alter behaviors. These researchers observed that as early as 350 BC, the Egyptians were already using opium for their religious rituals (Power, 2015). They further revealed that the Incas of South America had a history of over 5000 years of using cocaine. Moreover, they noted that the cannabis sativa the common drug has a historic use of nearly 5000 years (United Nations, 1998).

Many research works have since been conducted to examine cause and effects of drug and substance use as well as abuse of drugs and substances. Many research institutions have gathered information on the pervasiveness and patterns of liquor among other substance use for a long time. Some of these establishments incorporate the Center for Addiction and Mental Health, Canadian Medical Association in Europe, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and the South African Community Network on Drug Use (SACENDU) among others. The summarized reports of these institutions indicate that the continual increase in drug abuse has numerous health and social effects including leading to crime, violence, corruption, and health concerns. Drugs have substance abuse also lead to dilapidation of family and governmental financial among other resources that could be used for other social and economic development.

Many cities, societies, and authorities, as well as governments across the world have suffered from the effects of the drug use among their youthful populations. For instance, many research works have pointed countries and cities in Africa, Latin America, and Asia to be the worst hit societies (Exhibition by Kenyan Universities & Kenya, 2004). The dangerous and threatening thing of use

of drugs has strangled the young population reducing them to dummies, zombies, and drooling members of the society. These situations have wasted and are continuing to waste youths across different societies globally. Thus, they waste their prime and energetic lives instead of using the wasted energy to undertake assignments that aim at building the nation building (Exhibition by Kenyan Universities, & Kenya, 2004).

In 1999, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNO DC, 2000) led reviews on drugs in 80 nations around, in which it found that noteworthy segments of the world's adolescents and youngsters are being presented to a culture that has all the earmarks of being more tolerant of medication utilize. All inclusive, 13.5 for each penny of youth matured 15-24 have attempted cannabis at any rate once (in spite of the fact that that normal conceals singular figures changing from 1.7 for each penny in Peru to 37 for each penny in the UK); a normal of 1.9 for every penny have taken cocaine in any event (once more, this normal shrouds contrasts: 0.8 for each penny in Colombia; 4.5 for every penny in Kenya). An investigation of high school youngsters in Uzbekistan found that three for each penny had utilized medications, some of them from the age of eleven, and another two for every penny were keen on attempting (UNODC, 2000).

In Kenya, the National Agency for the Campaign against Drug Abuse (NACADA, 2002) recognized medication and substance use as one of the best issues. It not just influences the individual and his close family yet the group and the country overall. A countrywide needs appraisal consider embraced in 1994 by the Government of Kenya and the United Nations International Drug Control Program (UNDCP) uncovered that medicine and substance use has penetrated all layers of Kenyan culture, youth and young adults being the most influenced gatherings (Mwenesi, 1996)

The UNICEF and Kenya (2010) shows that Cannabis remains the world’s most generally created and utilized illegal substance. This substance is developed in all nations internationally and is smoked by around 130-190 million individuals yearly (UNICEF and Kenya, 2010). The report additionally takes note of that medication utilize has destabilizing impact of medication trafficking particularly among the travel nations. According to the report, uncontrolled and intense drug use leads underdevelopment and weak governance thereby making the affected nations susceptible to crimes that deepens instability of such nations. The report further indicates how the riches,

viciousness, and influence got from tranquilize trafficking can undermine societal or national security and even the power of states. Notably, drug trafficking threats to security have been a major concern of the Security Council for many years.

In most cases, parents or guardians often learn the involvement of their adolescent children with drug when these children are arrested on drug use related cases. Parents are never experts neither do they have learning to perceive the primary side effects of medication use in their kids. Numerous factors and elements are known to be contributing to drug use among the adolescents including their inability to withstand peer influence. Many research works have concentrated on the effects of drug use among male adolescence. Therefore, this research work intends to examine the effects, contributing factors, and possible remedies to drug use among female adolescents particularly within Soweto-Kayole slums. The viable solutions and remedies obtained from the research can be applied not only in Kenya but also to the entire Africa.

Parents/guardians regularly learn of their youngsters' medication use interestingly when the police capture them. Guardians don't have the learning to perceive the main indications of medication use in their kids, and teenagers are not enabled enough to state no to other people who bait them into the shady universe of medication utilize.