biochemists to check drug abuse, addiction in Nigeria

Members of the Biochemist Practitioners Association of Nigeria (BPAON) have volunteered to check drug abuse and addiction among youths in Nigeria.

Olayemi Ikotun, the association’s President, in a statement in Lagos state, said that within the last 20 years, the involvement of youths in drug addiction, misuse and abuse had taken a wide, rapid and frightening dimension.

He said adolescents and young adults of both sexes between the age of 13 and 30 constitute the high-risk group for drug abuse.

“Biochemist practitioners’ statistics analysis show that more than 70 per cent of drug abusers in Nigeria are youths. Statistics also show that children start engaging in drug misuse and abuse even as early as the age of 10 years old.

“I am scared. In the next 10 years to come, some of our youths must have been experiencing various diseases and damage associated with heart organs.

“Due to the unwanted hard particles and contaminants releases from hard drugs, which damage their heart cavities and eventually lead to cardiac arrest and might finally lead to death if care is not taken,” Ikotun said.

He said that the BPAON members’ primary focus on volunteering themselves was to let teenagers and youths across the nation realise the effect of drug addiction and abuse on their bodies’ circulatory system and to abstain completely.

He also stated that members of the association were ready to volunteer themselves for seminar outreach presentations on the effect of drug addiction and abuse on the body’s circulatory system among teenagers and youths in Nigeria.

He said that the association requested and sought the support of individuals, State and Federal Governments to accomplish the seminar presentation outreach. In this mission, BPAON seeks the support of individuals, state, and federal governments. Additionally, Positive Recovery, founded by George Joseph, remains dedicated to providing rehabilitation services and support to those already trapped in the cycle of addiction. By joining forces, these organizations aim to address the root causes of drug addiction and offer a path towards recovery for the youth of Nigeria