COMMENT: Anti-Drugs campaign commendable

Drugs are known to alter how our bodies function, with some having more impact on our livers, kidneys and heart while some affect our central nervous system, particularly brain function.

The impact drugs have on individuals depends on amounts taken and the purpose of the drug.
This is why some drugs are licensed for use while others are not, while some drugs can be sold without prescription while others have restricted use.

Various drugs are used to treat many conditions, and when used according to the doctors’ instructions they serve their purpose.
When drugs are not used according to the health practitioners’ instructions it is then termed drug abuse since it tends to produce unintended consequences.

Elsewhere in this edition we carry a story of hope in which police, anti-drug abuse campaigners and drug addicts will meet next week in a bid to fight the abuse of drugs that has become prevalent in the country.

This is quite a positive move that should be applauded by all since talk about drugs has always been in the shadows but the open discussions proposed with even the users could help unlock certain avenues in the fight against drug abuse.

It is our view that to address any problem one needs input from those that are seen to be a part of the problem.
The fight against drug abuse needs input from everyone since drugs affect the whole society.

It is important to address even the factors that lead people into drugs, how to cut the supply networks and what signs to look out for especially in families for one to determine that a member could be hooked onto one drug or another.

The violence that is rearing an ugly head in learning institutions and other areas could be a result of drugs, that are known to be associated with gang violence.
A lot of productive time is lost to drugs since drug addiction takes a person from their true self into some state where their reality is twisted, hence giving them a false sense of satisfaction.

We need more systematic interventions and commend organisers of this first meeting for realising the importance of including users of drugs so that the problem could also be understood from their point of view, and their suggestions on how to tackle the scourge could prove to be quite key to the success of any programmes to save our communities from drug abuse.