UNIBEN Students Take Drug Abuse Campaign To Secondary Schools

THE pharmacy students of University of Benin (UNIBEN), Benin, Edo State, under the umbrella of Anti-Drug Misuse and Abuse Program (ADMAP) have taken campaign on the dangers of drug abuse to secondary schools around the Uselu environs in Benin.

With the theme “Save the young, save the afflicted and help the addicted”, the students preached the gospel of abstinence from narcotic substances, at a-two day campaign against Mental Illness.
“My dad used to send me to buy alcohol for him after which he gives me some to sip, if you are saying alcohol could precipitate mental illness; do I stop drinking and buying alcohol for my Dad”? This is one of the questions raised at campaign.

Addressing the question, the chairman ADMAP, Isaac Ehimen, said though students are under obligation to obey their parents, but they should never accept any offer made by anyone to drink alcohol. “Alcohol can lead to dependence and taking alcohol at this early age could lead to a very catastrophic future; hence, run any errand your parents send you but never accept alcohol from anyone, it destroys.”

Speaking in Uselu secondary school, a government owned secondary school, Austin Aigbagenode said the brain at birth is a tabular rasa, hence any habit human beings indulge in are learnt all through the process of growing up.

He therefore advised that since substances like marijuana, indian hemp, and other forms of drugs could lead to mental illnesses, they should be avoided totally. “Don’t allow any friend to tempt you into trying anything for the first time, they may persuade you by telling you all sort of sweet stories about the substance, never believe them as a lot of the mental illnesses are caused by addiction of some sort.”
Efeobhokhan, is a 500 level Pharmacy University