Looking at the young man walking around and murmuring to him, he couldn't have been more than 25 years old. Despite this, he has grown unkempt, with overgrown hair and fingernails. Those who stood by and watched as the young man walked by concocted a number of theories to explain his current mental state.
"He worked as a bus driver."
He has, however, sold himself to the deadly substance known as Mkpuru Mmiri
(Methamphetamine or Crystal Meth). "Look at what it's done to him,"
one of them said.
"They usually source the drug
from Asata or Abakpa area," said another young man who joined in the
conversation, naming the mentally ill young man Kelechi. I've also heard it's
available in the New Artisan neighborhood, which was recently demolished by the
state government. They get it from the northeastern states, according to what
I've heard."
"The worst of it all is that
he hardly eats good and enough food," he said, adding that the mentally
disturbed young man combined smoking Mkpuru Mmiri with other hard drugs. But,
in order to stay high, he treats it as if it were food."
One Shedrack, who claims to be the
Chairman of Ogboifite youths in Aguta Local Council of Anambra State, lamented
the danger posed by the substance in a video that has gone viral, which he
personally made.
Shedrack had pointed to an
unfinished building in the area in the video. Former governor Peter Obi's
administration proposed using the building as a high court complex, but it
could not be completed before he left office, he said.
"This is where Mkpuru Mmiri is sold in this area."
It is a harmful substance that is destroying our youth. This location is known
to the vigilante. The cartel is led by a young man who recently returned from
South Africa. I came here with some youths the other time, and we arrested
three girls. In the video, he can be heard screaming, "We have to do
something to stop this illegal business before it destroys our youth."
Two young girls were arrested at another location in Nsugbe,
in the Oyi Local Council of Anambra State, for selling the deadly substance in
the area.
One of the girls, identified as Onyinye from Awka's
Isuaniofia, claimed she was only assisting her mother in the sale of the
substance.
Two young addicts, who appeared haggard and pale, had been
brought by the group that had apprehended her, and they had asked her to
identify them. "I stopped selling the substance to them when I was warned
that they had become mentally deranged," Onyinye said, referring to the
young men as her customers.
"I usually sold the substance to them even when they
didn't have money," she said. It's not like I'm pressuring them to buy;
they've indicated that they want it and that they'll pay later."
Later, the youths who arrested her demanded that she and her
mother leave the community or face the consequences if they disobeyed their
orders.
Umudioka, a community in Anambra State's Dunukofia Local
Council, declared war on illegal drugs, including crystal meth, last week.
The community said the sale and consumption of these illicit
drugs had been prohibited in their environment, according to a public service
announcement signed by Mr. Chike Odoji, President General of Umudioka
Improvement Union.
He stated that they would begin arresting defaulters,
dealers, and consumers in the community in collaboration with the National Drug
Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the Police Anti-Cult Unit, and other relevant
law enforcement agencies.
He warned the youth to stay away from places where illegal
drugs were traded or consumed, emphasizing that the community would not spare
anyone who disobeyed the order, regardless of their social status.
India hemp was among
the illegal drugs banned in the community alongside Mkpuru Mmiri. In their
language, these are the names of the drugs.
Concerned about the rising use of the substance among
Enugu's youths, the Enugu State Students Community joined the campaign against
it and other hard drugs on Thursday.
The campaign was carried out by the students on major roads
and streets in Enugu, the capital city. The road walk began at Okpara Square
and continued through Enugu metropolis to the Institute of Management and
Technology (IMT), where a sensitization program was held.
The march, which was organized by Ilogebe Chidi, Enugu State
Governor's Special Assistant on Students Affairs, was held to raise awareness
about the dangers of hard drug abuse among young people. They held banners and
placards urging youths, particularly Mkpuru Mmiri, to abstain from drug abuse.
Indeed, there are concerns about the rate of hard drug use
among young men and women, particularly in the Southeast. The rate at which
mentally ill able-bodied young men and women are now roaming the streets adds
to the concerns.
The majority of public discussions in the region now revolve
around how young people consume Mkpuru Mmiri in particular. In addition, the
region has seen an increase in all types of crime. People breaking into private
apartments in search of cash or missing soup pots, including those on fire, are
now commonplace.
According to sources, after using the substance, some
teenagers engage in a variety of criminal activities. "It causes them to
look down their noses at anyone who comes their way." The point is that
they don't believe anyone can compete with them after taking the drugs," a
source said.
The abuse of the substance has become a hot topic in the
Southeast, according to The Guardian's investigations. However, sources claim
it comes from the country's northwestern region. It was also discovered that
many young people are embracing the substance because it is far less expensive
than other illicit drugs.
"They said it's one way to relieve frustration and
think less about the country's nearly hopeless situation." You're also
aware that the cost of some illicit drugs, such as cocaine and other similar
substances, has risen significantly. As a result, they believe Mkpuru Miri is
both affordable and available."
It was discovered that the substance has the appearance of
an ice block but can also be blue in color. It is thought to be one of the most
difficult drug addictions to overcome. According to sources, it can be
dissolved in water and consumed, earning it the Igbo name Mkpuru Mmiri.
"It's highly addictive and has a negative impact on the
central nervous system of those who use it." It produces a very addictive
feeling of extreme happiness that makes the user want to fly. When the effect
wears off, the person tries to recreate the sensation by taking it again,"
says a medical expert.
"He or she is always picking at hair or skin; loss of
appetite and weight loss; strange sleeping patterns – staying up for days or
even weeks at a time; always talking nonstop; borrowing money often, selling
possessions or stealing; angry outbursts or mood swings; psychotic behavior
such as paranoia and hallucinations," according to the website.
He continued, "The treatment has always been handled by
psychiatrist experts, the same way people with mental derailment are
treated," explaining that it "creates the possibility of death and
causes one to age quickly and look sick all the time."
"My only concern is that when such unsightly damage is
done to one's body, one's chances of survival are severely harmed," he
said.
According to Dr. Nok Obayi, a psychiatrist, the substance
was once common in Asian countries. He went on to say that it was still unknown
whether other substances had been added to the ones being consumed in Nigeria,
causing the devastating effects seen in those who consumed them.
"We're not sure it's entirely the crystal meth they're
taking now because the people who come to you have problems." It's either
they're violent or something else. In general, most people now use specific
combinations and concoctions, making it difficult to test with the chemical.
For example, if you want to test cocaine and the patient added charcoal or
another substance to what he ate, the chemical may only see cocaine and not the
other substance. To find out, all you have to do is ask the patience.
"However, for cocaine and Indian hemp, we have a standard treatment,"
he explained.
Dr. Gbonjubola Abiri, a consultant psychiatrist and Medical
Director of Tranquil and Quest Behavioural Health in Lagos, described crystal
meth as an illicit substance in a similar vein.
"It is an illegal substance of abuse also known as
Crystal Methamphetamine, which is powerful and highly addictive," she
says. It has an effect on the human body's central nervous system. It's illegal
because it's not a drug that's been approved for daily use. It belongs to the
class of drugs known as stimulants. It resembles glass fragments or gleaming
bluish-white rocks in terms of appearance and composition. It's known as hype
or glass on the street, and it's a popular party drug. It's from Asia, and it's
got bees on it.
She explained that the substance could be ingested by
smoking, swallowing pills, snorting it through the nose, or injecting it with a
powder mixed with alcohol or water.
"Basically, they take a lot of it, sleep it off, and
then go back to it; it's a pattern." The phenomenon is known as the binge
crash pattern. Crystal meth users, according to research, ignore food and
continue to use the drug to achieve euphoria. Users adopt a more assertive,
aggressive, impulsive, and violent demeanor. They have out-of-the-ordinary
behavioral traits in general. This drug works by increasing the amount of a
chemical called dopamine in the brain.
"I need to establish that people use drugs for two
reasons: to run away from pain or to run towards pleasure," she said of
how people addicted to the substance could be rehabilitated. It makes them feel
like they're on a roller coaster; as a result, it's difficult to treat because
the brain's functions begin to deteriorate after prolonged use. As a result,
though, cognition, emotion, perception, feelings, and even behavior begin to
suffer. The person becomes increasingly anxious and perplexed. Addiction occurs
when the brain becomes rewired as a result of the individual's dependence on
the substance.
"Putting them in a controlled environment, such as a
mental health facility, is part of the treatment process." The
individual's craving for it increases as treatment progresses, and they become
more aggressive as the last of it leaves their body. During this time, the
brain begins to heal itself. The rehabilitation period can last anywhere from
three to six months, or even a year. However, relapse is a major issue for most
people; they return to it."
On the distinction between crystal meth and other illegal
drugs, Abiri explained that psychoactive depressants such as marijuana are
psychoactive depressants, whereas hallucinogens such as mushrooms' shrooms are
hallucinogens and extremely dangerous.
"They can kill a person as quickly as they can give
them the 'high.'" This occurs when a person has taken an excessive amount
of the substance. Crystal meth distorts reality, impairs judgment, and has the
potential to cause mental illness. "Nausea, convulsions, irregular breathing,
irregular heartbeats, irregular body temperature, and hallucination are all
symptoms of Crystal meth overdose," she added.
Post a Comment