by Azuji Ifeanyichukwu M.C.

Created on: October 09, 2009   Last Updated: October 14, 2009

As a young university graduate, I am serving my country for a period of one calendar year. Here, we call it National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). We've had our Orientation Camping, and were recently posted to our areas of Primary Assignment. Along with that, we are equally carrying out our Community Development Service (CDS). This is the medium through which we reach out to our various communities, to educate and enlighten them on various issues, and make the much needed impact on the society. We have various CDS groups, and i happened to be in "Anti-drug" group. We've had our weekly meeting, and discussed our 'modus operandi ', but one question we still do not have an answer to is; who are the target group? And, as an anti-drug group, what roles are we expected play? While we are still debating, I have decided to share our concern with you. But before we proceed, what then is drug?

The term "drug" is defined as; "Any chemical substance, whether of natural or synthetic origin, which can be used to alter perception, mood or other psychological states." This definition could be regarded an acceptable broad description of what could be referred to as psychoactive drugs; this though may not cover many medicinal drugs used for physical ailments.

In spite of the obvious risks attached to certain drugs intake, a lot of people still continue to abuse drugs, and such abuse have continued to destroy many lives of both the young and the old. While quite a good numbers of non-governmental agencies have risen in the recent years to fight against this menace, a good numbers of young ones out here are addicted. Report across the country on issues of drug usage among school children is really depressing. Particularly disturbing is the fact that a good number of them had been offered one or more drugs, ranging from cigarette smoking to Indian hemp which we popularly referred to as "igbo".

According to the definition above, alcohol is therefore a drug. The danger here lies in its' excessive use, which is evidently increasing. A report sponsored by European Union reveals that "drinking to stupor has become increasingly common among young people" the report however stated that "such alcohol abuse is associated with various short term adverse effects such as accidents, violence and poisoning, as well as with developmental and social problems."

Like alcohol, tobacco is very much legally available, although it contains a powerful poison, nicotine. As world Health Organisation had

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