Derrick Kiiza, Executive Director of Mental Health Uganda in 2021 said that a preliminary survey conducted in 14 regional referral hospitals by the organization during lock down found that nine out of ten cases of mental health illness are related to alcohol and drug abuse.

Uganda has seen over the years uphill cases of substance abuse in schools, the drug traffickers targeting ages 13-20 which are primary and secondary school children strongly posing a threat on the country’s future, especially its mental health future.

The Makerere School of Psychology revealed in 2021 that 60% of school going children take alcohol. Primary and secondary drink alcohol and more than a 3rd have consumed marijuana, cocaine and other prohibited drugs and substances.

Some of the substances mostly abused by students include; marijuana, cocaine, shisha, heroin, Khat, cigarettes, alcohol according to the research report.

Substance abuse by youth is on a fearsome rise and so are the cases of mental health, depression, conduct problems, personality disorders, suicidal thoughts, attempted suicides and suicide as effects of the same – substance abuse.

What Is Being Done;

Apart from the police carrying out different searches in schools and arrests including of some of the traffickers;

International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking or what we simply would call World Drug Day is marked for 26th June, 2023 and every year the UN strives to strengthen action and cooperation in achieving a world free of drug abuse.

A head of this day, Drug Hapana, an organization targeting schools in response to the surge, has carried a student leader’s workshop today at hotel Africana to teach student leaders various facets of drug abuse including; effects, how to fight and also to detect drug users among others.

Some of the schools that were in attendance include; Veron High school Mutundwe, Midland High school, and Mount St. Henry’s school among others. The headteachers of some schools were also seen in attendance.

Drug Hapana under the leadership of Anna-Maria Ssebunya,  braced the attendees with different tools to fight this new cancer in schools. Methods used to smuggle in the drugs were freely shared including the new packaging of the drugs to appear as; cookies, chocolate, cupcakes among others which requires high knowledge of these techniques and also strict vigilance by schools.

What Uganda could become due to unsolved drug abuse by young school going youth is a worrisome thought and calls all institutions beginning with the family to join in the fight to save for the future, or better yet like the theme for this year’s International Drug Day; ” Together, We Can Tackle The world Drug Problem”.

courtesy photo.