THE EFFECT OF DRUG ABUSE ON THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENT IN KONSHISHA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY.

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 Reic hgott 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 1820 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 UNODCWito,2005 world Drug Report, 2005, some 200million people or 50/0 of the total worlds population age between 1.5 and 64 years have used drugs.

The report further says that no nation has been immune to the devastating effects of the drug abuse. The officer of the national agency for the campaign against drug abuse NACACA, 2004B commissioned the first ever national baseline survey on the abuse of alcohol and other drugs in Kenya in 2001. The study targeted Kenyan youth aged between 1024 years. The report which was released in 2002 revealed that substances abuse, both illicit and licit was forming a culture amongst Kenyan youth. Drug abuse among the youth especially in secondary schools has endangered their lives and this has caused a lot concern as the vice indeed has been identified as major causes of problems experienced in secondary schools in Kenyan Gikonyo, 2005. The United Nations international drug control programme world drug report 2000 ranked Kenya among the four African nations notorious for either consumption or manufacture of narcotics in the world.

In Nigerian studies have consistently shown that there is considerable prevalence of drugs and substances use, with varying prevalence rate found for both overall and specific drugs and substances abuse Abdulkarim, Mokuolu and Adeniyi, 2005. According to Adelekan,Makanjuola, Nelom, fayeye and Amusan 2005 student may start using illegal drugs because the drugs are available from their schools. School related factors can also influence students to drug use Ngesu etal, 2008 how the school administration manages student affairs may led to drug abuse. Prevalence of drug use and abuse are therefore major public health problem in the young adults, especially among the secondary school students.

Previous studies show that more than a fifth 22.7 of primary school children takes alcohol, and also a figure that rises to more than threequates 68 of students at the university or other tertiary learning institution in Kenya take alcohol siririgi and waihenaya 2001;ngesu etal 2008 Otieno and Offulla 2009. Therefore, a large number of students across all age groups have been exposed to alcohol, tobacco, miraa, glues sniffing, marijuana and even hard drugs such as heroin and cocaine.

According to Siringi and Naihenya 2001 22 of secondary school student are on drugs and male have a higher exposure to miraa and inhalants than female. Poverty encourages drugs use among students due to abstenteeisism and idleness Adelekan, etal; 2005.as a result of lack of school fees with availability of and access to drugs in the village kiosks the idleness may in one way or the other encourage high prevalence of drug use among students age 1424 years old Adelekan, etal;2005.

ay secondary school who are not staying within their family unit set ups have been at risk to be attracted to drugs use are student who are staying with their peer friends, followed closely by those staying with their elder siblings in either rural or urban school regulation that requires all students to desist from any habit of drug use or abuse Ngesu etal 2008 this study is interested to ascertain the effect of drugs on academic performances of secondary school students in konshisha local government area of Benue state .

1.2STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM.

Drug abuse menace has strangle youthful population both secondary school student and non student reducing them to dummies zombies and drooling figure as well as wasting their lives at the age which they are most needed in the society Ngesu, Ndiku and Masese dangers 2008 Despite the worldwide concern and education about the of drug abuse most of the secondary school students have limited knowledge of how dangerous the habit is Ngesu etal 2008.

Against this background that a researcher clearly stated that drug abuse lead to various types of antisocial behaviors such as thief or robbery, rape, militancy, road traffic accidents, prostitution school dropout, mental illness to mention few, so drug abuse is not only the problem of the individual concerned but is immediate family and society at large.

1.3RESEARCH OBJECTIVES.

Following formed the objectives of the study;

To identify the causes of drug abuse

To identify the types of drugs commonly abused

To determine the effects of drug abuse on the academic performances of abuser