CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

 Background to the study

Drug is a substance that due to its chemical nature affects physical, mental and emotional functioning. Lewinsohn (2007) defines a drug as any product other than food or water that affects the way people feel, think, see, and behave Drug abuse according to Laver (1978) simply means the improper use of drugs to the degree that the consequences are defined as detrimental to the user and or the society The world Health Organization (WHO) (2006) defined drug abuse as a state of periodic or chronic intoxication, detrimental to the individual and the society, produced by the repeated consumption of a drug (natural or synthetic).   Drug abuse is the use of drugs for purposes other than medical reasons, thus affecting the individual in a negative way socially, cognitively or physically. It can enter the body through chewing, inhaling, smoking, drinking, rubbing on the skin or injection. Drug abuse amongst the global youth population has become a serious problem affecting everyone. Addiction leads many people, young people prominent amongst them, into downward spiral of hopelessness that in some cases ends fatal. They range from glue-sniffing street children and teenage ecstasy users, to hard core heroin and cocaine addicts

(Paschall, 2005). Drug abuse is responsible for lost wages, destruction of property in schools, soaring health care costs and broken families. It is a problem which affects us all as parents, children, teachers, government officials, taxpayers and workers.

Students, especially those in secondary school tend to see the drug user as one who is tough, bold and strong. Many youngsters have been known to use drugs at the instance of peers, elders or siblings. Students who usually feel inadequate have been known to use drugs to achieve social acceptance. Esen (1979) stated that Nigerian secondary school students under the influence of Indian hemp shed all inhibitions and produce behaviour that is inconsistent with school discipline. He went further to observe that the increasing incidence of drug abuse among secondary school students is a contributory factor in the ugly confrontation between school administration and students.

          Idowu (1987) found that students smoke and use drugs at the instance of friends/peers, parents and television/radio advertisements. Oladele, (1989); Okorodudu and Okorodudu (2004); and Enakpoya (2009) in their studies showed that adolescents were very susceptible to the influence of their peers. Osikoya and Ali (2006) asserted that socially, a drug abuser is always pre-occupied with how to obtain drug of choice and crave for the substance. Kobiowu (2006) study revealed that the academic pursuit of those students who engages in drug misuse is not unduly jeopardized, and that the abusers do not socialize extraordinarily, contrary to seemingly popular expectation.

          The abuse of drug has series adverse consequences in our homes, schools, work places and communities and so the national institute of Drug Abuse (NDA) set out their effort to help the public understand the causes of drug abuse and how to prevent its problems. They also identify effective interventions with younger population to help prevent risk behavior before drug abuse occurs. Research founded by (NDA) and other federal research organizations such as the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) (2009), shows that early intervention can prevent many adolescent risk behaviors. With regard to this research work, we believe that focusing more broadly on secondary school in Enugu north of Enugu state will help to find out the possible ways to prevent the influence of drug abuse on student academic performance.

 The use of hard drugs has affect both families, school and the societies as a whole, but precisely is it influence on the academic performance of secondary school students. Academic performance is the outcome of education, the extent to which a student, teacher or institution has achieved their educational goals. Academic performance is commonly measured by examination or continuous assessment but there is no general agreement on how it is best tested or which aspects are most important, procedural knowledge such as skills or declarative knowledge such as facts (Annie, Howard, Mildred 1996). The academic performance of students is greatly affected by drug abuse and addiction. Hence Cole man (2010) concludes that drug abuse and addiction is detrimental to the socio-economic and intellectual advancement of the nation.

Drug abuse can also affects the brain, resulting in a major decline in its functions, whereby it can further   affect a student’s concentration and thus interest in school  activities which may leads to increased absenteeism and drop outs. Most psychoactive drugs affect the decision making process of students, their creative thinking and the development of necessary life and social skills. Drugs abuse also interferes with an individual’s awareness of their unique potential and thus their interest in their career development (Louw, 2001). This gradually leads to social, emotional and physical problems and new feelings of guilt, despair and helplessness. Thus, resulting to poor performance in their academics

Therefore this research work is motivated by the degree of the influence of drug abuse on the academic performance of secondary school students.

  Statement of the Problem

          Drug abuse is a pandemic problem and it increases in an alarming rate in Nigeria today. About two decades ago, incidence of drug trafficking in Nigeria was low and abuse was minimal, but today drug abuse has destroyed and killed many people in the society. The height of drug trafficking in Nigeria was witnessed in 1985 under the military regime. During this period It was mostly the university undergraduates that were caught and the first to be executed for drug offences under the “special tribunal (miscellaneous offences) Degree NO 20 1984.

          Nevertheless, the usage of drug either by secondary school students or other members of the larger society is all its ramifications appears to be a social problem. The Nigerian National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has stated that drug abuse is a major problem in schools, colleges and universities in Nigeria. This is a critical problem which affects the society as it hampers the academic performance of students at the secondary level who are expected to develop and become leaders of tomorrow. The secondary school students who are the youth and the future hope of the society have created a social problem of engaging in hard drug that can be destruction to their academic endeavors.

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