Director, Amaudo Itumbuzor Integrated Mental Health Foundation, the Very Rev Kenneth Nwaubani has said that unhindered access of youths in the country to hard drugs has become disturbing.
Nwaubani stated this while speaking to LEADERSHIP after the foundation picked three mentally-ill persons in Umuahia, the Abia State capital for rehabilitation at its centre in Bende local government area of the state.
He blamed the use of such drug and other illicit substances for some of the mental illnesses and deviant attitudes in the society, noting that their rate of prevalence was become alarming.
He appealed to the drug regulating agencies to brace up for the challenge, adding that parents, educational institutions, community and religious leaders also have roles to play in checking the menace.
Nwaubani disclosed that the foundation has picked 26 persons this year during previous routine exercises thus bringing the total number of residents undergoing rehabilitation at the centre to 58.
The director of the foundation run by the Methodist Church Nigeria, who described as biting the rising cost of living in the country, called on the federal government to do something about the situation.
He thanked the state government for its continued support for the foundation and called for more from both private individuals and business organizations to enable it continue with the humanitarian work.
