AT A CROSSROADS: Drug abuse: More needs to be done at family level

A renowned Kenyan comedian with a considerable fanbase in Tanzania, Eric Omondi recently posted on his instagram page account the devastating news that his brother had passed away, sadly due to taking hard drugs.

The main reason of posting the news and not so a good picture of his brother, was to urge other young people never to try hard drugs, as the end is almost sure, pain, devastation and untimely death. The problem is worse among children and youths as criminal enterprises keep on recruiting them to have a steady flow of buyers.

During the funeral of his elder brother, Joseph Omondi, he was candid that youngsters should learn from the tragedy and shun drug abuse.

The tragic incident brings to fore the question of drug abuse in East Africa, which has been on the rise over the years.

In Tanzania, we have a number of famous musicians, whose once very bright careers, have been destroyed by hard drugs. One female musician was once the top act in the region, with her voice pulsating millions across the region. Then there is once almost king of rap, who was at the height of his act, when drug abuse cased his great fall.

A study titled “Adolescents and Drug Abuse in Tanzania: History and Evolution” by Kambuga Yusuph and Ion Negret, found out that “5-12 per cent of young people have experienced drug use such as alcohol, cigarette,cannabis and khat at a young age and 2.1 per cent have injected themselves with drugs such as heroin” Since the drug dealers rake into billions across the world, it’s not an easy venture to control the menace.

World over, they say the easy way to make quick riches is hard drugs but on the other hand, this is really destructive as it leaves, pain, poverty and many untimely deaths in its wake.

No wonder the setting up of United Nations International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, every 26th June. Drug dealers operate globally and drugs like cocaine and heroin, which are not produced in East Africa, still find their way.

During the WorldDrugDay @UNODC called on all countries to step up efforts to fight drug abuse. So will one day the UN goal of achieving an international society free of drug abuse become true? I hope so. We need to let our children be aware of drug abuse, before anyone tries to introduce them to the highly addictive malpractice.

Sometimes in efforts to shield children from reality we fail to teach them about vital lessons like dangers of drug abuse and underage sex, which looks so unafrican, but to save them from associated dangers, our families need to act accordingly.

As a parent, the UN is advocating for strong bonds, where we must show our children and youth that we care. This is because in difficult situations a strong bond between children and parents, goes a long way to reduce risky behaviours.

At first, the drug abusers are able to get the “high feelings” and escape from reality. We need to let our children know that escapism is cowardice and drug abuse is a huge waste of time and money, that it destroys memory, self respect and all self esteem.

We need to keep our kids away not only from cocaine and heroin but also from other drugs that are easily available in Tanzania like khat, and bhang/marijuana.

At the state level, we know the government has been working hard to make it impossible for drug kingpins to bring in Tanzania hard drugs.

We have seen cannabis (bhang) farms being destroyed by the police. As state does its part, families and more so parents need to play a pivotal role in ensuring their loved ones never abuse drugs.