Poor parental care, loss of value system responsible for drug abuse, says Pharmacist

A retired pharmacist in Jos, Plateau State, Mr. John Folarin said that four fundamental causes of drug abuse were unemployment, lack of parental care, loss of societal value system and lack of education.

According to Folarin, there are many graduates out there roaming the streets without jobs, adding that the next option open to them is to join peer groups because of the frustration in order to earn a living and in the process they get addicted.

On lack of parental care, he argued that some parents are always too busy in their duty schedule and do not devote time to supervise and train their children.

“Since there is no supervision, the children join any group of their choice and end up with friends taking hard drugs.

“Parents are mandated to be monitoring their children. It is unfortunate that children nowadays go to nightclubs and social gatherings without restriction or advice by their parents. The parents believe that their children are socialising, not knowing that they are doing more harm than good to them.”

Folarin also contended that the value system in the society has been eroded. “In those good old days, anybody could correct a child who was doing wrong whether he or she was his biological son or daughter. You exerted some measure of discipline. But nowadays, whether the child is doing the right or the wrong thing, you do not give any measured sanction. The child you are trying to correct may even insult you, tell you to mind your business.

“Even the father may not want such a correction from you. He will be polite enough to tell you that the child will correct himself as time goes on. So, for now, every family is to themselves. It has become a norm. When you see these boys taking drugs in a corner, you don’t call the security. People no longer consider taking drugs as a crime. People have come to believe that taking drugs nowadays does not necessarily involve alerting the security personnel.”

The pharmacist also stated how lack of proper education has negatively impacted on the psyche of the child, admitting that the cost of training children in a standard school is very high.

According to him, “Parents who cannot afford to pay the high fee from primary to tertiary levels will end up sending their children to public schools where there is no discipline. A child who is properly educated will know that taking drugs can lead to moral decay.”

Folarin also accused security agents of not doing enough to punish drug addicts, as they don’t prosecute them.

“When they arrest and detain them, they sometimes set them free because nobody comes forward to bail them.”

“In some cases, the culprits settle the security operatives with gratifications and they are set free. The security personnel are aware of the dangerous hideouts of these drugs
peddlers.”