The Senate has called on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on drug abuse among Nigerian youths.
The resolution came after a motion was sponsored by Senator Hussaini Babangida Uba, addressing the growing menace of illicit drug use and other mind-altering substances in the country.
Several lawmakers expressed concern about the use of mood-altering, performance-enhancing, dependency, and prescription drugs, which experts associate with addiction, mental illness, violence, and involvement in criminal activities.
Senators emphasized the need to include drug abuse education in school curricula and proposed organizing a National Summit on the state of drugs and narcotics abuse.
A report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the European Union revealed that about 14.3 million Nigerians between the ages of 15 and 64 are drug abusers.
