NCJ Number
119658
Journal
Bulletin on Narcotics Volume: 37 Issue: 2 and 3 Dated: (April-September 1985) Pages: 31-42
Date Published
1985
Length
12 pages
Annotation
Based on a sample of approximately 300 university students in Benin City, Nigeria, this study shows that although a wide range of various drugs are readily available and known, the substances most often used by university students are coffee, cola nuts, alcohol, spirits, and cigarettes.
Abstract
Diazepam and diazepoxide are also used with some frequency. Students tend to use stimulants and depressants sequentially, mainly during and after sessional examinations. The stimulants keep them alert while they are studying for an examination, and the depressants help them to rest after an examination is over. Cannabis is well-known and has been tried by many students. Although many students had heard about cocaine or had perhaps mistaken it for codeine, it is not available in Nigeria in any significant quantity. No instances of heroin use have been reported; however, Nigeria is now considered a transit zone or stopover zone for traffickers carrying the drug to the United States from South and Southeast Asia. The effects of this trafficking on potential heroin abuse in Nigeria have yet to be determined. Peer pressure and parental role modeling are apparently the most influential factors affecting drug abuse. 4 tables, 11 references. (Author abstract modified)