A new report by the National Authority for the Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) has revealed a worrying trend in substance use among university students, with alcohol consumption at an all-time high.
According to the data released on Thursday, 87.3 per cent of students consume alcohol, raising concerns over the rising prevalence of drug and substance abuse in institutions of higher learning.
The report also uncovered that friends are the leading source of drugs and substances for students, accounting for 66.4 per cent, while lecturers are also contributing to the crisis at 39.4 per cent.
Other suppliers include neighborhood canteens and bars (59.3 per cent), fellow students (56 per cent), online platforms (39.4 per cent), and institution shops or canteens (39.4 per cent).
Apart from alcohol, cigarette use was recorded at 64.4 per cent, while shisha had a usage rate of 41.2 per cent. Additionally, 31 per cent of students reported using vapes, 30.7 per cent consumed nicotine pouches, while kuber and snuff/chewed tobacco recorded 23 per cent and 22.1 per cent, respectively.
The survey further found that one in five university students had consumed alcohol in the past month, while one in eight had used at least one type of tobacco within the same period.
Alarmingly, one in nine students had used cannabis, while one in 22 had smoked shisha. Meanwhile, one in 24 students admitted to using inhalants, one in 63 had consumed cocaine, and one in 59 had used heroin in the past 30 days.
The findings were based on a study conducted among undergraduate students from both public and private universities across the country. A total of 15,678 respondents were interviewed, yielding a response rate of 99.7 per cent.
Public universities accounted for 61.5 per cent of the respondents, while private universities had 38.5 per cent. The study also showed a higher number of male respondents (54.2 per cent) compared to female respondents (45.8 per cent).
The latest revelations by NACADA highlight the urgent need for stricter measures to curb the growing substance abuse crisis in universities, as students increasingly fall into the grip of alcohol and drug dependency.
