THE EFFECT OF DRUG MENACE ON THE HEALTH OF SOCIETY – “A CASE STUDY AT

ACCRA PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL”

BACKGROUND

Drug is a substance used in the diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of a disease or as a component of a

medication. It can also said to be a chemical substance, such as a narcotic, that affects the central nervous
system, causing changes in behavior and often addiction.
source: http://www.answers.com/topic/drug

Drugs are generally defined as substances other than food, which are taken to change the way the body or
the mind functions. These drugs could come from plants growing wild in the fields or they could be
manufactured in the laboratory. They could also be categorized into legal, illegal or harmful. These drugs
are considered abused when the user deliberately uses it for non-medical purposes, as well as the arbitrary
use without medical prescription.
People abuse drugs for various reasons. These may range from curiosity, availability and previous drug
use to emotional and social pressures. Drug use and abuse as a habit unfortunately could begin quite early
in life as part of culture in some societies. The common drugs that are abused and which have attracted
both local and international concern include tobacco, marijuana, heroin, cocaine, valium and ecstasy.

According to World Health Report (1995), levels of use of marijuana and other illicit substances among
the young people in the USA since 1992 have increased for the first in over ten years. Lifetime use of any
illicit drug among 18 year olds in school peaked in 1981 at 66%. It again states that drug injecting is
increasingly becoming common. Often, injecting implies sharing needles with its resultant risk of HIV
infection, hepatitis among other infections. A crude estimate of mortality worldwide due to drug injecting
is between 160,000 and 210,000 per year.

Drugs when severely abused could lead to what is referred to as addiction. Addiction is a chronic, often
relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive drug seeking and use despite harmful consequences to the
individual who is addicted and to those around them.
Drug addiction is a brain disease because the abuse of drugs leads to changes in the structure and function
of the brain. Although it is true that for most people the initial decision to take drugs is voluntary, over
time the changes in the brain caused by repeated drug abuse can affect a person’s self control and ability
to make sound decisions, and at the same time send intense impulses to take drugs (National institute on
drug abuse, national institute of health, US dept of health and human services)

Internationally, there have been several meetings to deliberate on the menace of drug abuse. For example
in 1990, Mr. Perez de Cueller, at the special session of the United Nations indicated that drug abuse is a
time-bomb ticking away in the heart of civilization and there was the need to quickly find measures to
deal with it before it explodes and destroys. In a similar meeting in 1998, Mr. Kofi Annan, United Nations
Secretary-General, also stated that “The growing trend in abuse and production of psychotropic substances
must be reversed.....we must never give in to the human toll illegal drugs are taking on our societies. There
are 21 million victims around the world who abuse cocaine and heroin, and 30 million who abuse
amphetamine type stimulants. We cannot ease their suffering, or that of their loved ones, unless we fight
this”.- Secretary-General Kofi Annan, at the opening of the General Assembly's 1998 Special Session on
World's Drug Problem.

Ghana has over the years made positive strides in curbing the drug menace among its populace. Efforts
have included the development of policies against drug trafficking through national and internal ports of
entry, confiscation of property of drug traffickers, banning of cigarette advertising on television, banning
of smoking in public places, institution of annual drug awareness campaigns in collaboration with
international partners such as WHO and the inscription of the surgeons warning on the danger of smoking
on each cigarette packet.

PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
Due to the dangers posed by drug menace on society, there is a strong need for such a study to be carried
out at the Accra Psychiatric Hospital where the actual health implication of the menace on society could
be measured.

AIM
The aim of the research is to establish clearly the impact of the drug menace on the health of society from
social, legal, economic, political and technological perspective (SLEPT).

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the research are:

1. To ascertain how much government budget goes into the fight against drug menace.
2. To determine the social effect of the drug menace.
3. To evaluate the economic effect and labour productivity on the drug menace.
4. To verify whether we have the right laws to effectively deal with the menace
5. To ascertain whether we have enough technology to prevent, detect and control the drug menace.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1a) How many of the reported cases at psychiatric are drug related?
1b) What is the government budget allocation to the psychiatric hospital?
1c) How much of the annual budget allocation is directly spent on drug related cases?
1d) What is the patient – health care giver ratio?

2a) What are the occupational hazards associated with staff working with drug related cases
2b) What number of annual total arrest are drug related?
2c) Is there a direct link between drug abuse and crime?
2d) If yes what type(s) of crime are related to drug abuse?
2e) What number of annual drug related cases reported comes from broken home(s)?
 3a. What is the street value of drug cases arrested per annum?
3b. How much does it cost the individual user? (1) Daily_____(2) Weekly___(3) Monthly____
3c. Where do you get money to buy the drug?
3d. What is the effect of the drug menace on labour productivity (ie. Absenteeism, insubordination,
hospital bills etc)?
3e. How many of the annual drug cases arrested are not engaged in any meaningful employment?

4a. Do we have adequate laws to deal with the drug menace?

4b. Do we have effective law enforcement mechanism in place?
4c. If No, what are the challenges

5a. Do we have modern technology to detect and fight the drug menace?
5b. Do we have adequate prevention and control mechanisms in place?
5c. Are there any challenges?

UNSTRUCTURED QUESTIONS
The research will seek expert opinion from
a) A psychiatrist
b) A legal expert in drug law
c) A criminologist
d) NACOB
e) Police Service

HYPOTHESIS
1. 50% of government budget allocated to the psychiatric hospital goes to drug related activities.
2. The drug menace have effect on the society
3. The drug menace have effect on the economy
4. The drug menace has effect on labour productivity.
5. There are right laws to effectively deal with the drug menace.
6. There is enough technology to prevent, detect and control the drug menace.

REFERENCES
1. United Nations (1990), Speech given at the special session of the United Nations by Mr Perez de Cueller.
2. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, at the opening of the General Assembly's 1998 Special Session on
World's Drug Problem. (http://www.un.org/cyberschoolbus/briefing/abuse/abuse.pdf)
3. Wellington et al (2000), Global Youth Tobacco Survey 2000.
4. Wellington et al (2000), ‘If only we, the youth of Ghana, could be educated on the harmful effects of
tobacco’, Health Courier, Vol 10, #4, 2000.
5. www.drugabuse.gov (National institute on drug abuse, national institute of health, US dept of
health and human services)
Drug or substance abuse comes in various shades. This involves taking too much of a drug at one time or
small doses at shorter intervals. Taking a drug at regular intervals but far beyond the duration given or
taking it for a wrong reason is also abuse. A drug again can be abused if it is taken in combinations with
other drugs knowingly or unknowingly.
More often users move from one drug to another and use combinations of different substances. Some of
these combinations could be so dangerous as to cause sudden death.

Drug addiction is a complex illness characterized by intense and, at times, uncontrollable drug craving,
along with compulsive drug seeking and use that persist even in the face of devastating consequences.
While the path to drug addiction begins with the voluntary act of taking drugs, over time a person’s ability
to choose not to do so becomes compromised, and seeking and consuming the drug becomes compulsive.
This behavior results largely from the effects of prolonged drug exposure on brain functioning. Addiction
is a brain disease that affects multiple brain circuits, including those involved in reward and motivation,
learning and memory, and inhibitory control over behavior.

A number of studies have been carried out in Ghana and other parts of Africa to look at the prevalence of
selected drugs such as tobacco among the youth. In a school-based study within selected junior secondary
schools in Ghana (Ghana Global Youth Tobacco Survey-GYTS) by Wellington et al (2000), and
supported by WHO-Ghana, results indicated that, out of a total of 1,917 respondents, 14% had ever
smoked cigarette, 19% currently use a form of tobacco. It was reported that 15.1% of respondents had
been offered free cigarettes by tobacco company representatives before. About 55.9% had been taught in
class in the past year about dangers of smoking.
In another study by same author on tobacco involving 510 senior secondary school students in 6 schools,
65 (13%) had ever smoked cigarettes. Of these 13%, 15(23%) started at the age of 16. 26% of the total
sample were aware that smoking caused harm to the lungs. This habit is as a result of peer pressure,
parental smoking and advertising.

Volatile solvents and inhalants are presently common among younger and marginalized people in
developing and developed countries.