A recent government report reveals that nearly half of university students have used at least one drug or substance. The statistics show more affected students in public universities (68.5 percent) than private ones (31.5 percent), with males (54.2 percent) slightly outnumbering females (45.2 percent).

These numbers paint a troubling picture of our future leaders. Even more concerning are statements from students themselves during focus group discussions: “The problem of drugs is becoming a crisis and getting out of order since there is no one focusing on its control” and “alcohol and cannabis are normalised to a point that they are no longer a problem”.

Hidden in these remarks is a desperate plea for national attention to this existential threat. Students are asking policymakers and opinion leaders to understand the severity of the crisis and take decisive action. They’re warning that normalising alcohol and cannabis is profoundly abnormal.

Their comments reminded me of President George H.W. Bush’s 1989 televised speech addressing drug abuse among American youth. Bush spoke directly to students: “Every day, with a thousand small decisions, you’re shaping your future. It’s a future that ought to be bright with potential. And most of you are doing the right thing, but for those who let drugs make their decisions for them, you can almost hear the doors slamming shut. It isn’t worth it.”

He also noted: “Every time someone does drugs, or sells drugs, or even just looks the other way, they’re supporting an industry that costs more than money.”

The anti-drug agency NACADA has recommended information, education and communication strategies to change attitudes and behaviours regarding drugs. While public awareness campaigns have value and can influence behaviour when properly delivered, they have significant limitations.

Such campaigns cannot effectively counter the sophisticated drug trade targeting university students as both current and potential customers. Back in 2018, a security officer at a public university told me that drug dealers specifically view university students as a lucrative market. This revelation was deeply troubling.

Drug lords have developed sophisticated marketing, advertising, and sales techniques to capture and retain this market. While they may not have a nationwide organisation coordinating the initiation of young people into drugs, dealers work independently or together to entice children and teenagers.

To these dealers, public anti-drug campaigns are merely hot air. The government must meet their obstinacy with equal force. Drug dealers understand only one language: the iron and steel approach.

The government should adopt a two-pronged strategy: speaking softly while carrying a big stick. It should speak gently with parents, guardians, teachers, and social workers under NACADA’s leadership to convey messages about drug effects. Simultaneously, it must wield a massive stick against drug lords, both small and large.

In nearly every village, people know who grows or peddles drugs. Local administrators – village headmen, Nyumba Kumi, assistant chiefs, and chiefs – need clear directives to dismantle these networks.

With the full authority of the government, they could arrest dealers, destroy cannabis plantations, and prosecute suppliers.

It’s futile to spend millions on awareness and rehabilitation without disrupting the supply chain. Drug dealers stand ready to undermine NACADA’s good work protecting youth from substance abuse.

As William Jennings Bryan famously declared while fighting for ordinary farmers: “You shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold.” Similarly, we must not allow drug lords to crucify our children on the cross of substance abuse.

— The writer is a Communication Specialist