Solution to the drug problem

softkenya.com

Drug problem is for the whole community and should not be left to a few institutions like schools churches police and courts and professionals like psychologists, psychiatric and social workers. It should be recognized as their own problem by every individual in the community even if their own children are not involved. 

The County government of has recognized the seriousness of the drug problem and initiated the National Campaign against Drug Abuse (NACADA). This organisation is charged with the responsibility of coordinating activities of individuals and organisations in the campaign against drug abuse. Its mandate is to initiate public education campaign and develop an action plan aimed at curbing drug abuse by the youth.

As a first step to prevent and control drug abuse, parents should be sensitized on the dangers of drug abuse, the attendant problems and their functions as role models. They should be encouraged to teach standards of right and wrong. They should instill in the youth, habits, skills and attitudes that will help them become better citizens. Parents should be able to help children resist peer pressure to use alcohol and other drugs by supervising their activities, knowing who their friends are and talking to them about their interests and problems. They should be knowledgeable about drugs and signs of drug use and when symptoms are observed, response should prompt. 

Schools should have a drug prevention curriculum from Kindergarten on wards teaching that drug use is wrong and harmful. There should be collaborative arrangement with parents, school boards, law enforcement officers, treatment organisations and non-governmental organisations. There is also need for the school to be in contract with social workers and counselors. These trained personnel should be able to evaluate are relief the pressure that often contribute to the child‟s failure. The government should train and procure teachers who have demonstrated their activities to work with the children. Education curriculum should not be too stressing. Schools should be able to offer education serves different needs, abilities and talents. Schools should be able to determine the extent and character of alcohol and other drug use and monitor it regularly. Clear and specific rules regarding drug use that include strong corrective action should be established.

Students should be encouraged to use their understanding on the dangers of drug use to help other students avoid it. They should encourage other students to resist drugs and persuade those using them to seek help and report those using them to seek help and report those selling drugs to parents and school authorities.

There is also need for initiation of rehabilitation programmes for drug dependent persons. For the programmes to succeed there is need for continuity and a high degree of co-ordination and a close co-operation between private and government agencies if their existence is to make sense. Guidance personnel like psychologists, psychiatrists and social workers should be readily available and accessible. Counselling, psychotherapy and treatment should be availed. Family based treatment has been found to be especially effective with young drug and alcohol abusers. It is said to be more difficult to initiate in adulthood when a majority of people no longer reside with the parents. For drug abusers who happen to be prosecuted, the courts should be able to give them a chance to reform through probation. The personal supervision and guidance by a probation officer provides re-education rather than punishing. Personal and frequent communication and influence of probation officers is deemed of greatest importance. Experience has shown that various preventive and punitive measures such as fine, imprisonment or detention for drunkenness and other disorderly behavior have failed in eliminating this menace.

The police should do more to curb drug trafficking. There should be increased cooperation between anti-narcotics agencies of the three East African Countries, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. This cooperation will improve information exchange that will facilitate drug seizures and arrest of traffickers. Already there is advance on this front following the holding of a regional course on investigative techniques for customs and anti-narcotics officers in the region. It was held in Nairobi from the 1st of February 2002.

International bodies dealing with the drug problem such as United Nations Drug Control programme, United Nations Commission on Narcotic Control Board programme, United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs and International Narcotic Control Board should do more to help eradicate drug trafficking.

There is debate as to whether drugs should be made legal through decriminalization or legalization. Advocates of decriminalization/legislation suggest than an immediate consequence of the reform would be less expensive drugs produced and sold under government regulations and control and in accordance with standardized quality criteria. Their lower costs would reduce potential black-market profits thus the economic attractions of importing and dealing would be eliminated. In addition, many advocates argue that many drugs currently criminalized are not as harmful as certain legal drugs that are widely used. Some observers also believe that with legalization of drugs some youth may just stop using them because most of them indulge in it just to be in odds with the law and so once it is decriminalized they no longer see it in that light. This may result in the reduction of those abusing drugs. However critics of decriminalization/legalization point out that this would increase their use and abuse. They argue that use of illicit drugs is simply wrong and would further add to the erosion of the moral foundation of society. As to argument that decriminalization/legislation would lead to significant increases in the number of youth using drugs, evidence of.

REFERENCES

1. Masilla J. M. Intoxication and Criminal Liability in Kenya (Thesis). University of Nairobi, 1982. 
2. Report by the National Campaign Against Drug Abuse/(NACADA) on the drug situation in Kenya, 2015
3. United Nations Drug Control programme (UNDCP) Report on the Drug situation in Kenya, 1998-2001. 
4. Drug cases in E. Africa-2001, Report by the CID and Anti-narcotics Unit of the Kenya Police, Kenya Times Newspaper, Thursday, January 31, 2002. 
5. Drug abuse in Kenya. Excerpts from the East African Standard Newspaper of Monday, December, 10, 2001.