Reports that hundreds of youths were turned away during the recent Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) recruitment after testing positive for drugs and other substances are disconcerting.
Authorities said other than testing positive for alcohol, the culprits also had traces of bhang, heroin and cocaine in their bloodstream.
While KDF’s move has understandably denied the affected youth the opportunity to become better people, it also offers us an opportunity to ask ourselves what really drives young people to find solace in drug and substance abuse.
Excessive drug use is a result of many underlying issues, including joblessness, trauma, depression, broken homes, mental health problems, and hopelessness. When they can’t find solutions to such problems, many young people turn to alcohol and other drugs for solace.
According to the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (Nacada), young people between 18 and 24 have the highest prevalence of alcohol and drug use nationwide.
This is the very age bracket we depend on to power the economy, form our workforce, and defend our borders. To safeguard our future, we need to sit back and rethink our approaches to tackling alcohol and drug use among youth.
Recently, Nacada proposed to raise the legal drinking age to 21, citing early initiation to alcohol as a long-term predictor of addiction and other cognitive impairments. It also proposed restrictions in advertising and zoning laws, limiting the proximity of alcohol outlets to schools and churches.
As the debate on whether or not to embed the proposals into our laws continues, one can’t help but have the ‘we’ve been here before’ feeling.
Many may remember the sensational (and visionary) ‘Mututho laws’ of 2010. They attempted to regulate drinking hours and the advertising of alcohol. The enforcement was thorough, and for once in a long time, something seemed to be working. However, the current surge in drinking levels is proof of their short-term success.
While well-meaning, the proposed reforms by Nacada risk repeating the same mistake. Without understanding the motivations or causal factors leading to excessive alcohol and drug use, we are running in circles.
Any successful intervention must begin with dissecting the root causes of addiction or excessive drug use. One way to do this is to align our mitigation measures with the science of addiction.
Let’s recalibrate our strategy from reactive and restrictive to preventative. Nacada has done a commendable job over the years in curbing drug abuse. However, it’s time its role evolved from a regulator to a facilitator of recovery and healing.
Addiction or excessive substance use does not happen overnight. It has stages which begin with experimentation (often due to curiosity or peer pressure). Then regular or social use. From here, it deepens to risky use and dependence as tolerance increases, and finally to addiction.
The question we should therefore ask is: Will the restrictions on online sales and geographical proximity to alcohol establishments help young people who are in the dependence and addiction stages? Will the new age-limit discourage experimentation? If not, what approach can work best to help our children?
If we ignore this and instead focus on enforcing restrictions, we risk rebellion rather than compliance like happened with cannabis reforms, where overzealous crackdowns led to black market glorification. We may end up winning the battle, but losing the war.
We also need to seal the parenting gaps that lead to alcoholism and drug use. This means having open conversations with our children on substance use and good modelling. Parents can also be taught to recognise the early signs of substance use.
The law should mandate alcohol manufacturers and other beneficiaries to contribute to the treatment of addiction (in addition to efforts by the State through the Social Health Authority initiatives) and fund counselling therapy centres, either through Corporate Social Responsibility activities or licensing levies.
We can also double on proven strategies of old, like sports drives and other co-curricular activities.