By Huzaifa Abubakar, YouthRise Nigeria Media Fellow Rethinking Drug Policy in Nigeria For decades, Nigeria’s approach to drug us...
Rethinking Drug Policy in Nigeria
For decades, Nigeria’s approach to drug use has largely been punitive—focused on arrests, incarceration, and punishment. Yet the evidence is mounting: criminalization alone doesn’t reduce drug use or improve public safety. Instead, it often leads to overcrowded prisons, worsens health outcomes, and drives people who use drugs (PWUD) further into isolation and stigma.
A new wave of public health experts, human rights defenders, and community advocates is now calling for a shift—towards a humane and effective drug policy. This article draws on national and global evidence, and includes reflections from anonymous interviews conducted in Bauchi State, to explain why Nigeria needs to embrace this transformative approach.
What Is Humane and Effective Drug Policy?
A humane drug policy recognizes that drug use is a health and social issue, not simply a crime. Rather than treating people as criminals, it focuses on:
Decriminalization of drug possession for personal use
Harm reduction services like clean needle exchanges and overdose prevention
Prevention and treatment rooted in evidence, not stigma
Reintegration support, not incarceration
It is an approach endorsed by global bodies like the World Health Organization (WHO), UNAIDS, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
Evidence That Harm Reduction Works
Across the world, countries that have embraced harm reduction policies have seen measurable improvements in health, safety, and economic savings:
Portugal decriminalized drug use in 2001. Since then, drug-related deaths have plummeted by 80%, and HIV infection rates among people who inject drugs dropped significantly.
Canada and Australia implemented supervised injection sites and safe supply programs, reducing public drug use and emergency room visits.
According to Harm Reduction International, every $1 invested in harm reduction saves at least $3 in healthcare and criminal justice costs.
Nigeria’s Current Approach: Still Punitive
In Nigeria, the 2019 National Drug Control Master Plan recognized the need for prevention and treatment. Yet, the implementation still leans heavily toward punishment. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) often focuses on seizures and arrests, rather than investing in health-based solutions.
This approach is especially problematic in states like Bauchi, where resources for rehabilitation, mental health, and community care are limited.
Bauchi in Focus: Community Insights on the Need for Reform
Through a series of anonymous interviews conducted in June, 2025 with community health workers, legal aid providers, school staff, and people who use drugs, the following themes emerged: Lack of rehabilitation centers or referral systems for drug users
Families forced to turn to law enforcement, not health professionals
Young people criminalized before any attempt is made to understand their struggles.
In the heart of Bauchi State, behind quiet homes and busy market streets, stories of silent suffering unfold daily—stories of people who use drugs not out of recklessness, but out of trauma, loss, and neglect. With the support of Ibrahim*, a person who uses drugs, I was able to speak with three individuals who opened up about their struggles.
Amina, a 34-year-old widow, began using codeine to cope with the pain of losing her husband. "I just wanted the pain to stop," she said. Yet despite her desire to quit, fear of judgment and a lack of support keep her silent.
For Idris, a 21-year-old university dropout, drugs became a refuge from a broken home and a society that never listened. "I’m hiding from everyone—including my own family,” he confessed. Hauwa, just 17, started using at age 14 after years of verbal abuse and neglect.
Branded a disgrace by her parents, she now lives with a relative who has no idea she’s struggling with dependency. “We don’t need stigmatization she said, “we need someone to understand.”
These young Nigerians need help. But across the state, there are no counseling centers and no harm reduction services. Parents, often unaware or overwhelmed, respond with shame and punishment, pushing children further into silence. Every person I spoke with expressed a deep desire to stop using—but the fear of stigma, arrest, and abandonment keeps them trapped.
We must stop treating drug use as a moral failing and start treating it as a public health and social issue. Nigeria’s drug policy must prioritize prevention, not just punishment. Harm reduction services save lives and resources. If we truly want to protect our youth and build healthier communities, we must offer support before it’s too late—not after they’ve already fallen. These stories from Bauchi are not isolated—they are a wake-up call for national reform.
The Role of Prevention: Starting Early, Starting Right
Drug use prevention must go beyond mere slogans and punitive warnings. According to a 2023 study by CRISA (Centre for Research and Information on Substance Abuse), 38% of adolescents in northern Nigeria begin drug use before the age of 18.
Effective prevention means:
Providing life skills education in schools
Supporting youth employment and mentorship
Offering community-based counseling and safe spaces for at-risk youth
Several youth-led initiatives in Bauchi are already taking this direction—organizing community dialogues, peer education sessions, and social media campaigns to raise awareness.
What Needs to Change:
Recommendations
Based on global evidence, local experiences, and stakeholder insights, here are five actionable steps Nigeria can take to implement a humane and effective drug policy:
Decriminalize personal use of drugs to reduce incarceration and stigma.
Pilot harm reduction programs such as clean needle exchange, naloxone distribution, and community drop-in centers.
Scale up youth-focused prevention through schools, community groups, and social media.
Train healthcare providers and law enforcement to treat addiction as a public health issue, not a crime.
Involve people with lived experience in policy design and implementation—nothing for us without us.
The call for a humane and effective drug policy in Nigeria is not just a theoretical demand—it is a moral, public health, and social imperative. The stories from Bauchi State paint a clear picture: criminalization and stigmatization has failed to solve the problem; instead, it has deepened the pain of already vulnerable individuals and families. What people who use drugs need is care, not punishment; support, not stigma.
By adopting evidence-based prevention, investing in harm reduction services, and treating drug use as a health issue rather than a criminal one, Nigeria can begin to heal broken systems, save lives, and create safer, healthier communities. The data is clear. The voices have spoken. Now is the time for bold, compassionate action. A humane drug policy is not just possible—it is necessary, and long overdue.
Huzaifa Abubakar is a human rights activist and aspiring changemaker, committed to amplifying the voices of young people and the marginalized. He is a Development Economist and a Media Fellow at YouthRise Nigeria.
uzaifa100@gmail.com
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