By Ofili Nonso
Marijuana, cocaine, Indian hemp are easily purchased by students from covert sales points, also known as Trap Houses. Students unsuspectingly walk around campus with drugs, ready for quick sales.. A drug deal could be happening under your nose and you wouldn’t suspect a thing.
A student (who wished to remain anonymous) told me, “From Unilag to Ilaje (Bariga), I can count 3 spots for drugs. From Unilag to St. Dominic, I know of two spots. They’re very discreet, but known to drug users. Go with your money, buy your stuff, and leave. That’s all.”
Students who’ve experienced the horrors of drug abuse, give the same reasons for doing drugs – curiosity, boredom, school stress and frustration. And then peer pressure, whether in a hostel or at a party.
On campus, the most used substances are alcohol, cigarettes and marijuana. Stimulants and depressants are used mainly during and after exams. Coffee, though seen as mild, is taken in high, if not excess quantities by those who want to stay awake and read. Addiction sets in, and abstinence is difficult.
“I was never a drinker or drug abuser. One night, it was difficult to stay awake to study for a 3 unit course test. My friend gave me some pills which helped. After that day, I began using the pills whenever I wanted a boost,” Abbas Buraimoh revealed (real name withheld).
“After 3 weeks, my girlfriend of 2 years broke up with me. My pocket money suddenly became smaller in my eyes. I was going to classes, but was an empty shell. The pills became my downfall. If not for my friends noticing and reporting to my HOD and my parents, I would have been long gone.”
Drug abuse and degeneration work hand in hand against the student. Academics is the first major hit, absence from school, emotional problems, severe illness and withdrawals are a norm. Then mental health spirals down, followed by poor finance, as a result of excessive spending to maintain the drug habit.
“A year of drug intake took its toll on my body. I had multiple soft tissue infections from unsterile injection practices. I had to defer a semester in order to undergo rehab. I will never return to heroin again,” Kosi, a student, said.
Edidiayo, a final year student of Unilag warns, “You can’t just help it when you’re addicted. No matter the harm it causes you, there’s little or no resistance against drugs. It’s better you don’t start at all.”
Drug abuse robs one of the ability to think and discern between reality and illusion. The drugs may begin with the hope that something can fill the emptiness inside, but it will take the abuser to hell, disguised as heaven.
