Drug-related harms among young adults in Nigeria: Implications for intervention

ABSTRACT

Recreational cannabis use and taking codeine, tramadol, Rohypnol, and other pharmaceuticals for nonmedical purposes are some of the popular drug use practices in contemporary Nigeria. Yet, little is known on how the use of these drugs contributes to drug-related harms in the country. Using semi-structured interviews, this study explored the perceptions and actual experiences of drug-related harms among 23 young adults (23–29 years), who use cannabis, codeine, crystal meth, Rohypnol, and tramadol in a city located in Anambra State. The data were analyzed thematically using NVivo 12 software. The findings show that participants were highly aware of the adverse effects of drug use. They also shared how they and their acquaintances and friends had suffered substance-induced headaches, eating disorders, and slow psychomotor patterns. Cannabis-facilitated rapes and sexual violence against women were widespread and tramadol-induced seizures, convulsions, and deaths were also reported. Other personal substance-related problems the participants reported include persistent cough, skin rashes, hives, and substance-induced aggression/violence, sleeping disorders, hallucinations, and aging skin. These findings reveal the need to develop tailored interventions and policies that support harm reduction in Nigeria.

KEYWORDS:

• Drug-related harm
• harm reduction
• convulsion
• eating disorder
• rape
• seizure
• tramadol
• young adults

Acknowledgments

I am thankful to Ediomo-Ubong Nelson for his useful feedback and suggestions on the earlier draft of this paper. I am also grateful to the participants for their time and for sharing freely with us their drug use experiences.

Additional information

Funding

The author is currently receiving funding from Alexander von Humboldt Foundation through Georg Forster Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung