By Mike Adeyemi
Kwara State has been ranked 4th in the drug abuse index in Nigeria as expert advice 0.05 per cent beer intake
The Chief Executive Officer, Resource Builder Initiative, Mr. Abdulrazak Abdullahi made this known on the sideline of a seminar themed: “Sanitising people on the danger of drug abuse” held in Ilorin, at the weekend.
“Lagos State has the highest numbers of people abusing drug, followed by Kano, Benue and Kwara states.
According to him, the rate of drug abuse among Kwara youth is alarming, hence the need for stakeholders to address the problem.
The expert advised that those who take beer and other alcoholic drinks should not exceed 0.05 per cent, explaining that it is the quantity that the body can metabolise.
“Our targeted audience are the artisans and transporters because these people get inclined to hard drug intake given nature of their jobs,” he added.
Abdulrazak said the NGO has embarked on campaigns at various National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) garages to educate and sensitise motorists on the menace of drug addiction.
While noting that government cannot fight the scourge alone, he called on well meaning individuals to join in the crusade against drug abuse in the society.
He advised youths in the state to shun drug abuse because of the inherent danger, pointing out that users are exposed to the risk of mental disorder.
Speaking in the same vein, a pharmacist, Mrs. Grace Aliu of Living Stream Foundation said every drug has it side effects, adding that the National Assembly recently passed three bills with the aim of combating drug abuse.
She added that codeine is an efficacious medicine for cough, stressing that its excessive use is drug abuse and dangerous to health.
“It is wrong when people take drug based on prescription given to others. Our bodies metabolise drug differently,” she explained.
