Complicity or negligence: How will Nigeria respond to its silent drug epidemic?

Drug

We will never be sure why the suspect arrested by the Police in Ondo on August 5 took that much tramadol to induce a nine-day spate of sleep, or indeed if it was tramadol that induced the overdose that eventually took his life. There has been no post mortem confirming the dose of the substance in his body and he wasn’t given emergency first aid treatment when he was discovered. Medical personnel battled to revive him but he was too far gone. But what cannot be in doubt is that there are, around the country, episodes of drug abuse that bear similarities with this.

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It is a growing crisis that seems destined not to be treated with a concerted approach by decision makers, unless the BBC’s cameras or some respected foreign media decides to take interest.

In Enugu this past week, a 24 year old man was reported to have died by suicide after an overdose of marijuana. The Police command in the state gathered that the victim was always in the habit of smoking marijuana, which may have caused the unfortunate incident.’’ That’s all the back story we can expect to get from that case; there are no reports on his familial connections or the nature of the work he does, two factors which could help bring some understanding to the circumstances that may have led to his high dependence and eventual death. The role played by the overdose of the substance should make it necessary to carefully access issues concerning the channels through which drugs become available to people within the society. While drugs are supposed to serve quality healthcare purposes, their diversion and abuse are serious issues which deserve a level of attention currently not being offered.

Back in February, the Federal Ministry of Health presented four policy documents to provide guidelines on the use of Controlled Medicines, Narcotics, Psychotropic Substances and one on the Minimum Standards for Drug Dependence. Among other things, the documents were made to guide hospitals in making access to certain drugs available for legitimate treatment such as the relief of severe pain, and for the treatment of substance use disorders. The guide on the minimum standards states clearly that whereas people with disorders were previously looked on as requiring psychiatric care, the approach should now be of “humane and effective care”.

But the current five-year National Drug Control Master Plan admits to a problem: the country lacks reliable and comprehensive data on the prevalence of drug use and the number of people with drug disorders. What is known from few surveys is that cannabis is identified as the most used while heroin use has increased since the 1980s. Also known is that law enforcement agencies have a “limited capacity” with respect to gathering intelligence the networks of drug diversion and analyzing them. The focus of law enforcement is more on users than from suppliers and it is doubtful that talking drug epidemics by retroactive engagement will bear sustainable fruit.

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In other words, the Police must be better equipped, in intellectual and operational capacity, to handle matters relating to the intersections of drugs and crime. Despite their protest to the contrary, many remain unconvinced by of the Police being non-culpable in the circumstances of the death of the suspect in Ondo after 9 days. From the manner he was presented to the public lying on a bare floor while a trickle of blood dripped by the left side of his head, it was the first wrong move portraying the enduring sentiment that much should not be cared about suspects. It is an approach that should change for effective crime fighting and response to the drug abuse crisis, as future suspects who may consume drugs to end their lives and avert punishment will know that the Police are capable of activating them back to consciousness to face justice.

More importantly, law enforcement requires due regard for the dignity of life and it is to be hoped that the suite of trainings and reforms planned for the Police will have special modules dedicated to ingraining such ideals.

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