Abstract:
The world over, particularly in the Sub-Saharan Africa
region, there have been growing cases of drug and
substance abuse that pose a serious threat to concerted
efforts aimed at strengthening public health systems in
the region. The upsurge in drug and substance abuse
has distressing implications on the socio-economic
lives of individuals and communities at large. This is
epitomised by rampant cases of criminal activities,
increasing healthcare needs, rehabilitative services
and reduced labour productivity, all of which are
detrimental to communities’ public health
sustainability. This study interrogates the implications
of drug and substance abuse with perspectives from
Harare, using a qualitative research approach. In depth interviews and document searches were also
conducted. Major findings indicate that the uptake of
most drugs being abused is meant to treat particular ailments, and prevention and treatment are the major
adopted strategies to arrest the scourge, as awareness
campaigns on dangers associated with drug abuse
have increased. This study suggests the imperative
need for punitive measures to be harnessed to deter
perpetrators and promoters of drug and substance
abuse that will ultimately assist in strengthening public
health systems in SubSaharan Africa
Description:
The journal is a forum for the discussion of ideas,
scholarly opinions and case studies of community
outreach and engagement. Communities are both
defined in terms of people found in a given locale
and defined cohorts, like the children, the youth, the elderly and those living with a disability. The
strongest view is that getting to know each
community or subcommunity is a function of their
deliberate participation in matters affecting them
by the community itself. The journal is produced
bi-annually.
