Alarm over drug abuse crisis as 7-year-olds smoke bhang

NACADA Chief Executive Officer Dr Anthony Omerikwa/FILE

Children as young as seven years old are already using bhang.

The revelation came from the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) as it raised alarm over rampant drug abuse.

Nacada CEO Antony Omerikwa who before the National Assembly’s Administration and Internal Security Committee on Wednesday said drug and alcohol abuse among youths is getting out of hand.

“In our recent report, consumption of drugs amongst the youths is 3 per cent above the national average, that is, among children aged between 15 and 24 years,” Omerikwa said.

“The youngest individual abusing cannabis sativa (bhang) is seven years old,” he told the Committee chaired by Narok West MP Gabriel Tongoyo.

The victim, he noted, was taken through rehabilitation and is now recovering from the effects of the drug.

“We had had a study that revealed that one in every 11 youths is using one type of alcohol or the other. Again, one in every 20 youths abuses alcohol, both illicit and legal ones,” the Nacada boss said.

The 2024 survey seen by the Star paints a worrying picture of early exposure to drugs, with more than half of university students hooked to alcohol, drugs or both.

The study covered both public and private universities across all eight administrative regions of Kenya.

A total of 17 universities were included in the study.

The study population comprised undergraduate students. A total of 15,678 respondents were interviewed, translating to a response rate of 99.7 per cent.

From the report, one in every two university students had used alcohol.

Some of the commonly abused substances include alcohol, shisha, Vape/e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches, snuff/chewed tobacco and kuber.

Others are tobacco, miraa, muguka, khat, cannabis smoked, cannabis edibles, heroin, cocaine, inhalants, prescription drugs, codeine syrup, ectasyy/GHB/LSD/Psychedelics, metamphetamine and ketamine.

The situation was prevalent in public universities (68.5 per cent) compared to private universities, which recorded 31.5 per cent.

“Over half (54.2 per cent) of the student population were male and 45.2 per cent were females, while 0.6 per cent did not state their sex,” the study indicates.

“The students were almost evenly distributed across the years of study with 26.9 per cent first years, 24.3 per cent second years, 23.8 per cent third years and 24.2 per cent in their fourth year and above.”

The study indicated that the environment within the universities and the neighbourhoods were not drug-free spaces with evidence showing an increased availability and accessibility especially for alcohol, tobacco, khat, and cannabis.

According to Nacada, a significant number of varsity students reported easy access to alcohol and narcotics, often from neighbourhood outlets and within their communities.

Also hit hard are students residing outside the university main campuses with friends emerging as the main source of the drugs.

Other sources include university canteens and bars, online vendors, varsity support staff and in some cases lecturers.

Friends lead the list at 66.4 per cent followed by canteen/bar/premises within the neighbourhood (59.3 per cent); fellow students within the institution (56.0 per cent); online purchasing over websites or social media (39.4 per cent); canteen/bar/premises within the institution (28.0 per cent); support/non-teaching staff (11.4 per cent); and lecturers/teaching staff (seven per cent).

Officials warned that the trend signals a growing public health and social problem that could have long-term consequences if urgent measures are not taken.

“There was evidence of involvement and use of university students in the supply and sale of DSA (Drugs Substance Abuse).”

The agency noted that the discovery of such young children using drugs and alcohol has come with various risks including serious health complications.

“One in every 17 university students (5.8 per cent) had moderately severe depressive disorders and another one in every 29 university students (3.5 per cent) had severe depressive disorders,” the report says.

“Results revealed that female students had a higher prevalence of moderately severe (6.4 per cent) and severe (4.1 per cent) depressive disorders compared to their male counterparts (5.2 per cent and 3.0 percent respectively).”

The study also showed that students in private universities had a slightly higher prevalence of moderately severe (6.2 per cent) and severe (3.8 per cent depressive disorders compared to students in public universities (5.5 per cent and 3.4 per cent respectively).

The study established that the burden for alcohol-related addiction was higher among students in universities.

The situation was worse amongst students not affiliated to any religion or those who were Hindu/Buddhist, students in the third year of study and above; and those who were self-sponsored.

Nacada called for stronger collaboration between families, schools, law enforcement agencies and community leaders to curb the spread of drugs among minors.

The authority also urged stricter regulation of alcohol outlets and increased public awareness campaigns targeting young people.

“The university management and the relevant stakeholders to roll out deliberate and sustained DSU (Drugs and Substance Use) prevention interventions including strong mentorship programmes tailored to the needs of the vulnerable student sub-populations,” the study recommends.

It also asks university management to consider mandatory accommodation of university students within the institutions and in accredited privately managed accommodation facilities outside the university.

It also recommended that university management and the Ministry of Education strengthen guidance and counselling departments to support provision of brief interventions for students with substance use disorders (SUDs), mental health disorders, and other unresolved trauma.

INSTANT ANALYSIS

Education stakeholders have also expressed concern, saying drug abuse is increasingly affecting learning institutions, discipline and academic performance.  They warned that without immediate intervention, more children risk falling into addiction at a very early age. The findings are expected to pile pressure on government agencies to intensify the fight against drug trafficking and the illegal sale of alcohol to minors, even as experts push for rehabilitation programmes and preventive education to shield children from substance abuse.