THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND ECONOMIC EFFECTS DRUG OF AMONG THE YOUTH (A CASE STUDY OF KADUNA METROPOLISES)

1.1     General Introduction 

Ankinyili (2012) stated that a drug is any chemical that changes a person’s normal body process or function based on natural commission of drug abused. A drug may be used as an aid to healing when one is ill or it may be used to attend to ones need. They are capable of attaining person behaviour by affecting consciousness or emotions.

Drug abuse has been defined by the world of periodic or chronic intoxication detrimental to individual and to the society produced by the extensive consumption of drug (Natural or synthetic). It is characterized by the following behaviours

a.      An over powering desires or need (compulsory) to continuing taking the drug and to obtain it by all means.

b.     A tendency to increase the dose

c.      A psyche (psychological) and sometimes physical determination upon the effects of drugs.

 The drug abusers basically are people who find the effects of the drug to be a solution to their problems. As in case of marijuana (India hemp), the drug become so essential to the user such that they cannot face reality without it (Rikiji 2000)

Drug abuse is regarded as responses made by individual to a belief he basically ‘considers as problems solving. The use of drug is socially acceptable and the majority of people therefore takes it and approves it. Although the individuals who takes or who indulges in excessive drug taking may sometimes be regarded with its disfavor.

However, he is often treated with certain tolerance amusement and his instinct will usually cause him to become an outcast from his group of friends and acquaintances. In any society, at any given time, the rest of the society as deviance will look upon people whose usage of drugs is different from the social patterns. They will be treated differently. Because the drug addict takes perception of seeing himself as being differently. He will then seek the company of others like himself with whom he can be identified and this way, establishing a sub-culture, which is somehow different from the society in general.

The increase of drug abuses in Kaduna Metropolis, particularly the youth is a matter of great concern because drug abuses are spreading widely and rapidly; their effects on others constitutes’ a very major threads both psychologically and economically. The society is not very much aware of the growing amount of illicit dealings in dangerous drugs and its associate danger or devastating effects. It is in the light of harmful effect of this indiscriminate and consumption of drugs that this study is therefore carried out to investigate the general effects of drug abuse among the youth in Kaduna metropolises.

1.2   Relevance of the Study                    

One of most pressing social problem today In Nigeria is the involvement that of youth in drug abuse which has become a general topic for the discussion everywhere in the country.

The importance of this study is to identify the major effect of drug abuse among the youth in Kaduna metropolis, which is summarized as follows:

·        To help the increase of psychiatric problem due to the abuse of drugs.

·        To help reduce high rate of crime amongst the youth.

·        To discourage high rate of drug trafficking

·        To make the youth aware of the effects of hard drugs

·        To enable state and local authorities to educate youths on drug abuse

·        To treat them to be useful to the society

Another importance of this study is to reduce the high rate of broken homes because drug abuse is associated with an attempt to dis-own the values and attitudes of elders to general, and the desire to become independent.

It will also educate those that are involved in the vulnerability of this habit, it is therefore to serve as a contribution to the social disciplines, and costly sources of information from where policies shall be made to tackle problems and issues on drug abuse throughout the country and serve as a reference material for those who wish to carry out other research on this topic in the future.

1.3     Scope of the Study            

This research study is limited to the youth population of Kaduna metropolises. It is to the make known to the people and local government authority the mis-use of drugs which has ruined the life of those who fall victims, due to drug abuse among the youth.

1.4     Limitation of the Study 

Undertaking a research project of this nature one cannot escape some problems like information collection, limited time and financing of the project.

Some of the problems the researcher encounters include the problem of communication, that is when people do not understand or write the English or Hausa language like the student and working class, seemed not to understand what the purpose is all about thereby refusing to fill in the questionnaire or answer the interview. To elicited response from them.

Also the researcher during the study encounter financial hardships-spending the money going from one place to another to give out questionnaires, collecting them back and cost of writing materials.

Even though, I receive a tremendous co-operation from the respondents, by making available to me necessary data and information. Of course our library is ill equipped to meet special need of this nature, secondly time factor is another constraints, time allowed for the submission can be said to be insufficient. In addition, writing the project also goes with other academic work which is a task that must be done.