A preliminary report on self-reported drug use among students in Zambia

Two studies of drug use among Zambian students are described; the first based on a sample of 336 secondary school students and the second on a sample of 1,836 students from a wide range of educational institutions. All these students belonged to a select group and their patterns of drug use may not be typical of the majority of youth who have not been able to continue with their education. Lifetime prevalence rates are examined and it is shown that while up to 10 per cent of the female students experimented with cannabis, only male students tended to become regular users. Apart from minor tranquillizers, the use of other drugs was relatively uncommon, and there were no reports of the use of morphine, heroin or cocaine. A connection between the frequency of reporting of problems and the drugs used indicates that there is a small proportion of vulnerable students who could be helped if detected early.