CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Research over the past two decades has tried to determine how drug abuse begins and how it progresses from time immemorial, the use of drugs has always been associated with the existence of mans. In the earliest societies, man ahs always thought that disease was as a result of the gods being angry and to prevent or cure such diseases sacrifices were made. As society settled down in scattered settlements, they needed to keep their surrounding clean. This emphasis from the gods as the causative factors of diseases shifted to the environment. They discovered that disease were caused by pathogens.
Basically, medication were made from roots, herbs, leaves and other natural materials when they are identified or thought to have medicinal properties the use of these substance data back to early history. The ancient Egyptian for example were highly skilled in making and using medication for treatment for both external and internal infection. Most of the drugs we use today originated from nature are now produced synthetically legally manufacture drugs are produced under carefully controlled conditions. In this process, they are examined tested for standard and quality before being approved for sale and use. All drug when produced are manufactured specially for certain ailment or condition of certain people. Drug abuse has become a problem today to our secondary school students. It means the use of drugs of a non-medical or non-scientific purpose with the potentiality of harm to the user and to the locality.
From research, the task with witnessed are upsurge in the number of drug that are commonly abused by students in locality and the world at large. However, illicit drug use and abuse are rising among all sector of the population, not just the young. It has also been observed that population involved in the abuse and use of drug across social economic background and educational level as both the liberate and illiterate get involved and that secondary school students are most involved in drug abuse and even the female students. It is acting and sad amazement to note that secondary school students are mostly at risk of drug abuse who in Edo State make up a great portion of our population. It is observed that if drug abuse is rampant among this group of youths female leader of the locality may as well sink into a marshy from the research many students die every year of drug abuse. Illegal trade in drug is multi-billion dollar business which threatens to corrupt and destabilize the economy of many people. Also the degree of drug abuse is rather heightened with the involvement of primary pupils, secondary school students etc in the act. Furthermore, drug on its own is a chemical that influences or modifies the action of the body’s own chemistry in other words, it is any substance, which when taken modifies the body function or substance, when used affects the body and mind. It does this by changing the body’s function and or behaviour of the user. Unfortunately most of the students ignore such medical advice or direction but indulge in drug or misuse. It is important to note that drug abuse is not confined simply to the abuse of dangerous drugs like narcotics, opium, heroine etc but also the abuse of cocaine, panadol, antibiotic, laxative, kola nuts,, alcohol etc in other words even substance from food is a drug harmful or dangerous if not take properly. Drugs abuse arise when drug are being taken without medical prescription or in excess of prescribed dosage for example imagine anxious mother seeing that her child who has stomach pain, went and bought antibiotic syrups and gives to
