Associate Professor - Nazarius Mbona Tumwesigye (4th from left) with Archbishop Church of Uganda - Stanley Ntagali and students at the launch of drug free schools initiative at Mengo Senior Secondary School.
Written by Joseph Odoi
On 15th February,2020, Makerere University School of Public Health joined the Church of Uganda for the launch of an anti-drug abuse program in church founded Secondary Schools at Mengo Senior Secondary School playground.
Launching the campaign, Archbishop of the church of Uganda ,His Grace Stanley Ntagali said many youths have been destroyed by drugs, robbing the country of their potential .He further expressed displeasure at the increasing use of narcotic drugs among students in secondary schools and higher institutions of learning.
To address the drug abuse, Ntangali tasked teachers and heads of learning institutions to play a critical role in combating the use of drugs among students.
In his presentation entitled “Drug abuse in Schools in Uganda” at the function, Associate Professor - Nazarius Mbona Tumwesigye, from the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Makerere University School of Public Health highlighted peer pressure ,stress, family history, abusive environment, neighborhood with history of drug abuse among others as key causes of drug abuse.
Citing a study carried out between 2011 and 2012 among 3200 students in Kampala (86%) and Gulu (14%), Prof. Tumwesigye said that 70% of students had ever used alcohol or substances. He is also the Director for Alcohol, Drugs and Addictions Research Centre (http://adarc.musph.ac.ug) that is taking lead in fighting drug abuse.
On substance consumption, he revealed that the commonest substance used by students was alcohol (23.3%), followed by kuber(10.8%), khat (10.5%), aviation fuel (10.1%), cannabis (9.2%) and cigarettes (5.9%.
Moving forward, Prof. Nazarius advised the students to resist drug abuse highlighting its negative outcomes like negative outcomes like poor mental health, general poor quality of life, depression and anxiety, difficulty maintaining self-esteem, school truancy among others.
He also reaffirmed the commitment of the researchers at School of Public Health to work with the Church of Uganda and other health stakeholders and address “drug abuse cancer” among students who are future leaders.
The colorful function attracted over 20 schools, sponsors and other health stakeholders like the National Drug Authority, KCCA and NGOs involved in rehabilitation and treatment of people with drug addiction among others
Why we should be worried about drug abuse
In a study in 2008 among 20,765 students aged from 13 to 15 years from six African countries (Kenya, Namibia, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe) it was found that School truancy, loneliness, sleeping problems, sadness, suicidal ideation, suicide plans, and poverty were associated with substance use (tobacco, alcohol, illicit drugs), while school attendance and parental supervision and connectedness (to family, friends, church etc.) were protective factors for substance use, and peer support protective for tobacco use.
