Substance abuse, health and social welfare in Africa: an analysis of the Nigerian experience.

Substance abuse has become a significant problem in the African continent in recent years. Reports of increasing abuse of alcohol and cannabis have appeared in many countries. In Nigeria, beginning from the early 1980s, the abuse of cocaine and heroin has been added to the problem. Even though epidemiological findings show low rates of abuse of these illicit substances in the general population, hospital-based studies point to a growing incidence of cocaine and heroin-related mental health problems. Information from recent studies in Nigeria is utilized in an analysis of the drug abuse scene. It is suggested that drug trafficking by Nigerians, which has been unprecedented in the past 10 years, has contributed to the observed shift in the pattern of drug abuse from cannabis and alcohol to cocaine and heroin. It is suggested that there should be regional sharing of information on drug abuse in the continent and that governments should treat as urgent the formulation and implementation of broadly-based drug policies.