NEWSPAPER COVERAGE OF DRUG ABUSE IN NIGERIA A STUDY THREE SELECTED NEWS PAPERS

NEWSPAPER COVERAGE OF DRUG ABUSE IN NIGERIA A STUDY THREE SELECTED NEWS PAPERS

ABSTRACT

          The research examined the level of newspaper coverage on drug abuse (A study of three selected newspaper).However, mass media especially newspaper have the power to influence the feelings and attitude of people while it also help in solving social problems which drug/substances abuse is one. Also this research work evaluates the importance of newspaper coverage against the use of drugs or drugs abuse among the citizens. Advertising messages and commercials in newspaper can persuade and convince people to buy a wide range of products and services by influence behaviour. A survey research method was adopted to select the respondents and One hundred and twenty (52) copies of questionnaire were administered to the selected respondents. The findings shows that Majority of the citizens were aware of what drug abuse is all about through mass media and friends. Almost all the respondents have one way or the other abuse drug or substance and the abuse it usually frequent that is why the degree of drug abuse in our society is very high. The selected newspaper and other mass media educate and enlighten people on the dangers in drug abuse. It is recommended that National and International Health Organisations should banned media advertisement and publicity of substances and drug promotion like tobacco cigarette, alcohol and other harmful drinks. While mass media should design specially campaign to create awareness on the negative effects of drug abuse.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Drug abuse has since been recognized as global problem that bother every country in the world today. Different nations across the world including Nigerians abuse the use of drugs and large percentage of these users are our youth in various institution of learning. A drug has been define as any substances that when aborted into a living organism may modify one or more of its physiological functions (Croen, Woener, Harm and Reichgott 1997). The term is generally used in reference to a substance taken for therapeutic purpose and as abused substances (Kwamanga, Hiombo and Amukoye, 2003).

United states of America (USA) study further revealed that excessive illicit drug use rate among high school students and young adults increase with age with a prevalence rate 19.60/0 between the age of 18-20 years as indicated in Kwananga, etal (2003). A quotation from the (substance Abuse and mental Health service Administration (SAMHSA) 1997 in the USA.

According to the United Nation Officer on Drugs and Crime (UNODC-Wito,2005 world Drug Report, 2005), some 200million people or 50/0 of the total world’s population age between 1.5 and 64 years have used drugs.

NEWSPAPER COVERAGE OF DRUG ABUSE IN NIGERIA A STUDY THREE SELECTED NEWS PAPERS