Angelah Nothando Mlotshwa
Environmental and Health Reporter
Drug and substance abuse has become so common amongst the current generation. It has become a way of life.
Many young people who delve unto drug and substance abuse do so due to lack of knowledge.
Or is it due to abundance of knowledge?
Zimbabwe school curriculum teaches pupils on drugs and substance abuse, Non-Governmental Organizations hold several such campaigns, the Ministry of Health and Child Care have campaigns against drugs, there is abundant information on the internet and social media against drugs.
But still, the nowadays generation is not deterred at all.
Why then are youths not heeding the call against drug and substance abuse?
This emanates from wanting to belong and be identified. Youths follow their idols to the later. They copy lifestyles of those people who hold influential positions in life.
Others copy what is mirrored in movies, yet still others indulge in drug abuse because of poverty and lack of employment.
To many youths drug and substance abuse has become a daily escape for those suffering from mental health issues.
People are abusing “imbanje”, marijuana/cannabis, sex enhancement pills, abortion pills, unprescribed birth control pills for various reasons, some mentioned above.
This Younger generation is engaging in unprescribed drugs that affect their nervous system. When one’s nervous system is tampered with their actions, thinking capabilities, physiological and physical wellness is affected.
Birth control pills are drugs used to prevent fertilization of an ovary with a sperm to form a zygote. These birth controls are prescribed for those who have had children. Those without children, are affected when taking them. These control pills on prescriptions state that those taking them are to consult doctors after every three days and for those preventing pregnancy, they are affected as it reduces the fertility rate to an extent of leading to barrenness.
Marijuana commonly known as “Imbanje” is a drug where tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol are extracted from. These two drugs help in reducing inflammation, relieve pain, control nausea, kill cancer cells and slow tumor growth, helps seizures, washing syndrome (cachexia) etc.
Youths today are not using marijuana as per prescription, they are smoking as a get away plan.
Youths take undressed drugs and injectables as well needles.
This therefore has a negative impact on brain development and executive brain functions, memory coordination attention, which slowly kills the cells of the nerve system leading to confusion and controls the body vital functions like breathing rate.
New generation is also using sex enhancement pills such as lndian sweets, virginity soaps, black tea for men, silver bullets, Viagra 100, Kifaru 100 all for enhancement of sexually activity, prolonging the process and meant to increase sexual libido. These drugs waken up ostrogen, testosterone hormones in full force which at the end results, kills the reactivity of these hormones. It also affect the immune system which can leads to gouty arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. A body can even experience inflammation which is a process by which a body’s white cells and the functions they make protect you from infection of outside invaders such as bacteria and viruses.
“Ama2k” therefore need more awareness campaigns that educates them of these drug’s dangers.
The Medical Control Authority of Zimbabwe also needs to tighten laws of banning pharmacies from selling these drugs to illegal age groups and importation of illegal drugs in order to save youths from insanity and becoming drug addicts.
When the new generation falls into desperation for these drugs, they end up vandalizing properties through staged robberies and prostitution.
In a related incident, last week, at a house in Nketa suburb near the Library gate in Bulawayo, police ambushed one of the youths who was buying drugs. Residents from that house are said to have been illegally selling marijuana, sex enhancement pills, abortion and birth control pills.
An eyewitnesses said that the police became physical but nothing major was done to stop this illegal business or arrest the buyers.
“In this instance, the one who sells, is a well known local newspaper (name withheld) newspaper Cartoonist”. said one of the community members who asked for anonymity.
“If you know the Roads next to Emakhosi and in front of where there is a car cleaning garage, there is a drug cartel and that street is owned by Central Intelligence Organizations (CIO). Police go there and the story just vanishes but if you just go there you will find bronco, marijuana, pills” , said Petros Ndlovu.
He added that the worst part and heart breaking issue is that, the seller is a woman.
People have normalized drugs and substance abuse.