Drug abuse: A cancer plaguing rich families

Behind the fortified walls in high-end neighbourhoods, the rich are crying. These parents, who have the money to answer their kids' whims and fancies, are grappling with a generation battling drug and alcohol addiction. 

Whereas less affluent children hooked on cheaper drugs are roaming streets and markets, disturbing random people, the rich are suffering in silence for the shame and pain their children bring. 

For them, money has failed to buy happiness. Their children, who are often set-up for success with a silver spoon in hand, are in and out of rehabilitation facilities. 
Last year, two sons of a Member of Parliament (MP) were jailed over their involvement with drugs. 

The MP, who confessed he was tired of bottling up as the sons went astray, revealed he had no regrets over having them behind bars. The boys, one at Uganda Christian University Mukono and another at Makerere University Business School, had dropped out of school over substance abuse. 

In 2011, a minister, while at the funeral of his son, who committed suicide over drug abuse, blamed himself for his son's death. He said he could have saved him if he had concentrated on him from the beginning. 

At the funeral of a former vice-president's son recently, the deceased's sister revealed: “Alcohol is bad and we should help people avoid it. Our brother got addicted. We endeavoured to fight it, but failed. It affected various essential body organs that resulted in his death.” 

A distraught mother, residing in Ntinda, told New Vision hat she has made desperate attempts to rescue her daughter from drugs by providing her with money and a car, but that she has squandered all on drugs. 

“I have watched helplessly as my daughter delves deeper into the world of substance abuse. She chose drugs over a respectful career I prepared her for. I need help to help her recover,” she sobbed over her 23-year-old girl.

Pastor Martin Ssempa

Ray of Hope? 

According to Dr Kenneth Kalani, a psychiatrist at the health ministry, the Alcoholic Drinks Control Bill, 2023, which seeks to regulate the manufacture, sale and consumption of alcoholic drinks, which was presented last year before Parliament, could reduce the rate of addiction among teenagers. 

Kalani said Uganda spends a lot of money and time treating mental health patients. Last year, mental health practitioners called on government to increase the budget allocated to tackling mental health. 

Dr Hasfa Lukwata, the assistant commissioner of mental health and control of drug substance use from the health ministry, said: “Mental health is not given priority as there is no budget allocated to it. We cannot undertake awareness programmes and also teach more health workers to deal with mental health patients. Mental health takes up less than 1% of the total budget allocated to the health ministry. We, therefore, ask government to increase the budget to 5%.” 

Lukwata is convinced that the health ministry is doing its best to sensitise the public, but the effort seems not to be enough. 

She believes a multi-sectoral approach will reduce the problem. 

According to statistics from Butabika Hospital, most admissions last year were due to substance use. Out of those, 44% were due to alcohol and 25% due to use of cannabis and other substances. 

The scary statistics also show that of 20 people who require treatment and care at the facility, only one is able to access it.

Universities are dens for drugs 

In a recent investigation, New Vision established that most of the drug hubs operated by drug dealers are situated around or near universities. Drug dealers have infiltrated universities and have a carefully curated network. 

These target students whose lives are at a different level of social development. Medard Twinomuhwezi, a hostel guard at Makerere University Business School, said students have found innovative ways of consuming drugs. 

Perpetrators are now baking cakes, cookies and boiling weed leaves and consuming them as a beverage.

A peek into the world of rich kids 

The New Vision has learnt that whereas alcohol, marijuana, cocaine and heroin come to mind when you talk about drug abuse, young people known as the ‘Rich Kids of Kampala', are now consuming ‘designer drugs'. 

At their invitation-only house parties in leafy suburbs where drugs are freely available, you are likely to observe the following: The lights and music are low and smooth, and about 20 or so people are lounging about, some dreamy, some zombified,d and others wandering off into bedrooms. 

For drinks, it is shots and cocktails of fancy whiskeys, gins and rums. For drugs, the most common is meth, candy, ecstasy, cocaine, crack, ketamine and others procured on the black market. 

A pill of ecstasy goes for about sh40,000 on the black market, depending on the milligrams. 

According to experts, the human brain is not fully developed until age 25. The brain of teenagers is more vulnerable to the negative effects of marijuana use. 

However, these youths from well-to-do families can spend up to sh500,000 on the pill during their house parties. 

“For most of these young people, drugs are a solution to a problem,” a source revealed. The source said many of these kids come off as bored and unhappy and find an illusion of happiness through alcohol and drugs.

Glorifying 'green tea'

 Marijuana, also called “green tea” (chaiwenjaye), has become a drug of choice among the current generation. It is becoming Uganda's biggest fix. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mulungu became one of the most popular picnic venues where ‘green tea' was competing with liquor and fish for orders. 

When we visited the site, a waitress sporadically walked in with a tray in tow, holding cups, flasks, and other paraphernalia. Minutes later, she proceeded to serve her clients with what seemed to be tea. 

The aroma wafting from the tea cups hit my nostrils. Feigning ignorance, I asked the waitress for ‘that tea with a strong scent'. “You want “green tea?” she asked. If you do not booze, or if it is your first time, do not take it,” she cautioned. 

She further warned me that if I insisted on consuming it, I risked suffering health complications because of its potency. She later agreed to sell me five grammes of green tea at sh10,000. 

She quickly cautioned me never to drink it before eating a solid meal. Other epicentres of green tea are Kabalagala, Bunga, Ggaba, Mutiima Beach and Camp Tukwane in Entebbe. 

Kabalagala has a collection centre known as 'Forest', patronised by students from nearby universities, notably Ethiopians and West Africans.

Marijuana and brain impairment 

According to experts, the human brain is not fully developed until age 25. The brain of teenagers is more vulnerable to the negative effects of marijuana use. 

They say excess consumption of marijuana tea affects parts of the brain that influence pleasure, memory, thinking, sensory perception, time perception, co-ordinated movement and concentration. 

A consumer gets high on drugs after these parts of the brain are overstimulated. 

Dr Irene Apio, a forensic psychiatrist at Butabika Hospital, said some people start by taking weed tea for recreation and enjoyment purposes, but become addicted.

Pastor Martin Ssempa, activist, counsellor and founder of Makerere Community Church 

"Kids from wealthy families often feel an immense amount of pressure to overachieve. Such can cause anxiety, sadness, low self-esteem and other such issues highly correlated with substance abuse.

“Children raised in wealthy families have access to disposable money, sometimes endlessly. They can buy expensive drugs, large quantities of alcohol, and throw parties with their friends."

Dr Kenneth Kalani, A psychiatrist at the health ministry 

Drug addiction knows no level of economic status; it can hit anyone who tries it. Economic status only defines which drug one takes; for instance, the poor are likely to get addicted to khat or miraa, marijuana and alcohol, while the rich opt for ‘classier' drugs. School-going children get exposed to cookies made with cocaine and magic mushrooms. Levels of exposure and peer influence are the main factors leading to drug addiction.

This story was first published in the New Vision on August 4, 2023.