Drug abuse rife in Zimbabwe

Hazel Marimbiza
IN the past weeks, the media has been awash with stories highlighting how drug abuse is tearing our society apart.

Substance abuse is a growing problem in Zimbabwe. Youths are the most affected by this rising problem and among those seeking mental health services for substance use disorders, 40 percent are male youths.

Studies show that some young people start to abuse alcohol, drugs and other substances at the age of 12 years. This significantly affects their productivity, disrupts their families and the progression of their lives.

Poverty, low socio-economic status, peer pressure, breakdown of the family support system, limited knowledge about the effects of drug abuse, stress and an unsupportive environment are contributing to the increase in the number of youths abusing alcohol, drugs and other substances.

This is compounded by socio-cultural views where substance abuse is associated with masculinity and enhanced sexual pleasure leading to risky sexual behaviour.

Instead of engaging in productive activities, most youths have developed a culture of abusing harmful drugs which include cocaine, cannabis, mutoriro, nyaope, Broncleer and musombodia.

Renowned Kenyan novelist Ngugi wa Thiong’o once said: “If you want to know the tomorrow of a people, look in the eyes of the young. If you want to know their thinking tomorrow, read the minds of the young.”

With so many youths abusing drugs, Zimbabwe’s future is less likely to be positive since the youths portray a picture of a confused and hopeless society.

There are many challenges associated with drug abuse. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), substance abuse leads to a dependency syndrome. This means drug abuse leads to a cluster of behavioural, cognitive as well as physiological effects that develop after repeated substance use.

A 2016 academic research by Andre Ohagan and Amber Poxon in the United Kingdom states that there is a direct relationship between violent crimes like robberies and cocaine.

Kebogile Mokoena, a South African researcher on drugs and their impact in society, says the drugs bring with them a social nightmare.

“They are very addictive and addicts encounter extreme difficulty when attempting to cease using them,” the study reads.

Issues like diseases, disjointed families and even deaths have been recorded as the most common results of incessant drug use.

The challenges are further worsened by hospitals’ incapacity to treat addicts and there are also few rehabilitation centres which in most cases are expensive.

Mr Peace Maramba, an expert in mental health says the lack of public rehabilitation centres has worsened drug-induced mental health issues in Zimbabwe.

“In Zimbabwe we do not have rehabilitation centres at Government institutions. It is unfortunate that mental health has been neglected for long and this leaves the youths who are drug addicts helpless,” Mr Maramba said.

He said accessing any mental health services was prohibitively expensive as most people struggle just to have a decent livelihood.

Mr Maramba said those who manage to get therapy often battle with peer pressure and as a result go back to abusing drugs.

“While rehabilitation is achievable for drug addicts, most drug users often relapse when they return to the communities where the peer pressure they faced before remains,” said Mr Maramba.

A lot needs to be done in order to curb this scourge. From a community perspective, in order to restore normalcy, there is a need to regulate the sale of drugs such as Broncleer that can be easily abused.

In addition to openly discussing these challenges, communities should also provide guidance and counselling programmes. Further, the value of recreation and exercise should never be underestimated because recreation and exercise help to keep teenagers and youths occupied.

Government and private organisations are working hard to curb drug abuse among youths.

A movement called Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) which is an international grassroot network of students who are concerned about the impact of drug abuse in communities is fighting drug abuse.

“Here in Zimbabwe we have an affiliate chapter of the International SSDP and we advocate for drug policy reform and harm reduction for the youths and students who use and inject drugs,” said Ms Monalisa Magoche, Africa committee chairperson of SSDP.

College and high school students constitute big number of drug abusers hence the fight has been taken to these institutions.

“A lot of students are abusing drugs and most of them are punished by being suspended and in some extreme cases they are expelled. We are introducing mental health support groups where we use people who have abused drugs and have stopped to assist the affected students,” said Ms Magoche.

Zimbabwe Civil Liberties and Drug Network, a group which is working with people taking drugs says there is a need for a drug policy.

“This problem is now rampant and what’s needed is a drug policy that addresses these issues. Mutoriro or crystal meth is now a menace.

What needs to be done is to look at our policy that is the laws governing the use of these drugs in Zimbabwe. The laws are criminalising people taking drugs and as such they go underground without seeking help. The laws need to be humane and give support to people who take these drugs,” said Mr Wilson Box, executive director of Zimbabwe Civil Liberties and Drug Network.

Zimbabwe’s deputy director of Mental Health Services, Dr Chido Rwafa, says the Government cannot deal with the problem of substance abuse alone.

“Alcohol and substance use is a rising problem not just in Zimbabwe but on the entire African continent.

We need a co-ordinated approach involving Government, non-governmental organisations and the communities to address this problem,” Dr Rwafa said.

Zimbabwe is working towards a drug-free society through a drug master plan which will help the country achieve Vision 2030.
The Zimbabwe National Drug Master Plan offers an integrated and comprehensive approach that will address a range of drug related issues.

In his foreword to the master plan, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health and Care Dr Jasper Chimedza said this initiative aims at achieving a drug free society in Zimbabwe.

“There is great belief and optimism that the guidelines, strategies and all that is contained within this National Drug Master Plan will pave way to strengthening responses on drug related issues in a positive way. It also strengthens prevention which is the most important leg of this Master Plan.”

Dr Chimedza said the programme performance will be reviewed annually to see if the goals and objectives of the Drug Master Plan are being met.

“All stakeholders are encouraged to embrace the guidelines on how to deal with drug use challenges and prioritise their actions in a way that will lead to the accomplishment of the Drug Master Plan’s aim. Concerted effort is needed to protect youths who are the future of the nation,” he said.

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