Friday, July 11, 2025
  • Who’sWho Africa AWARDS
  • About Time Africa Magazine
  • Contact Us
Time Africa Magazine
  • Home
  • Magazine
  • WHO’SWHO AWARDS
  • News
  • World News
    • US
    • UAE
    • Europe
    • UK
    • Israel-Hamas
    • Russia-Ukraine
  • Politics
  • Crime
  • Lifestyle
  • Sports
  • Column
  • Interviews
  • Special Report
No Result
View All Result
Time Africa Magazine
  • Home
  • Magazine
  • WHO’SWHO AWARDS
  • News
  • World News
    • US
    • UAE
    • Europe
    • UK
    • Israel-Hamas
    • Russia-Ukraine
  • Politics
  • Crime
  • Lifestyle
  • Sports
  • Column
  • Interviews
  • Special Report
No Result
View All Result
Time Africa Magazine
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • WHO’SWHO AWARDS
  • News
  • Magazine
  • World News

Home » Featured » Gutter water, smoked faeces, used women sanitary pads now consumed as drugs

Gutter water, smoked faeces, used women sanitary pads now consumed as drugs

Desperation has over the years pushed African youth into consuming poisonous substances, including various kinds of glue, turpentine, and petrol, but the latest discovery is shocking: The mixture of both used women sanitary pads with water and boil for some minutes after which they sieve the concoction for drinking. For smokers, they mix dried human faeces with weeds and then roll it up in papers like cigarettes stick for smoking. The human excreta, according to the abusers, improve the flavor on the illicit drug and improves libido.

September 30, 2022
in Featured, Special Report
0
545
SHARES
4.5k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

New, unconventional drugs are becoming popular in Nigeria, designed by dealers and users to replicate the effects of illegal substances like cannabis, cocaine, and ecstasy. They affect how the brain works and cause changes in mood, feelings and behaviour. Policymakers have labelled them as “new psychoactive substances” because they’re not recognised under international conventions.

These psychoactive substances are found all over the world, and they’re growing in popularity. But little empirical research has been conducted on the uptake of these new drugs in many non-western contexts, especially in Africa. More information is needed because using substances like these is harmful to health. Policymakers need proper evidence regarding their availability, use, and effects to provide evidence-based interventions.

It appears that people in Nigeria are creating new drugs either because they can’t afford more traditional narcotics, or because they’re not controlled (and therefore difficult to detect), or because they’re strong.

As my colleagues and I documented in a mini review of recent insights on the topic in Nigeria, most new psychoactive substances are extremely potent. Some drug users prefer them to conventional narcotics because they want to experience a more intense and longer high.

We also found that some people will take these substances – such as tramadol – to give them more energy for hard labour. Others use them because they want to last longer during sex.

ReadAlso

Why malaria is on the rise – and how to protect yourself on holiday

Lesotho activist arrested after video on unemployment rates angers Prime Minister

These new psychoactive substances pose a public health threat, but because they’re new and not easy to detect, they are not controlled – for instance, by the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs or the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances.

Traditional drugs – like cannabis, cocaine, and ecstasy – are controlled under these conventions, making them easier to detect, categorise and regulate internationally.

ADVERTISEMENT

Studies that reveal more about the substances being used in Nigeria and their effects on users will help inform public health interventions.

Types of drugs

New psychoactive substances exist all over the world, and they’re growing in popularity. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime identified almost 900 new substances between 2009 and 2018. These were found across 119 countries and territories, in all regions of the world.

In western countries, people use synthetic opioids, like tramadol and fentanyl, and synthetic cannabinoids.

Our mini-review of empirical studies conducted in different parts of Nigeria mapped the types, availability, and motivations for taking these new psychoactive substances.

In Nigeria, aside from a few imported new psychoactive substances like tramadol, most of them are locally sourced and can be obtained free of charge or at a low cost.

There’s a cocktail called “gutter water”, which is made from a mix of tramadol, cannabis, codeine and vodka. Other popular cocktails include “monkey tail” – a combination of homemade spirit, cannabis and psychoactive plant roots, seeds and stems – or a mixture of sodium hypochlorite solution (bleach) and carbonated soft drinks.

There are also pure plant-based substances. Some people will chew or smoke dried cassava and pawpaw leaves or seeds, zakami (Datura metel) seeds, and moringa (zogale) leaves.

Other popular ways to get psychoactive effects involve sniffing burnt tyres, hydrogen sulphide gas (sewer gas), or nail polish.

There are other new substances that people who are desperate or very poor try to use, but it is unknown whether these produce psychoactive effects that can get them high. These include smoking the whitish elements of lizard dung or human faeces. Others will drink 10-day-old human urine for the same reason.

Addressing the issue

Although research on the harms caused by using new psychoactive substances is at an early stage in Nigeria, one study found that some tramadol users experienced seizures or convulsions after taking the substance, and a few users died from a drug overdose.

Because drug availability often correlates with high drug use, it’s logical to say that without strategies to address the new drugs, their use may continue to rise.

Therefore, there is a need to initiate a strategy to address the issue. This must be underpinned by sound research. There must be comprehensive data that maps the availability, types, patterns, and motives for taking these new drugs among Nigerians.

A nationwide campaign will be essential. It must give young people the information they need on the dangers of substance use.

Credible government sources like the National Orientation Agency of Nigeria and the Ministry of Health should champion this effort. Campaigns should aim at deterring people from ever trying new psychoactive substances. Efforts must also be made to reorient those who already use the substances without stigmatising them.

For the campaign to be successful, the Nigerian police and other law enforcement agencies that often use intimidation and war on drug approaches to enforce laws should be distanced. This is primarily because brutalising drug users has not reduced drug availability and use in Nigeria.

Finally, official corruption – blamed for fuelling the availability of tramadol – must be tackled immediately.

By Emeka Dumbili, Lecturer, Nnamdi Azikiwe University (The Conversation)

Tags: AbortionAfricaDrugsNigeriatramadol
ADVERTISEMENT
Previous Post

Abortion pills are being widely used in Nigeria: women and suppliers talk about their experiences

Next Post

“I am sorry”, Ihedioha apologises to Ndigbo over ‘saboteur’ comment

You MayAlso Like

Special Report

EXCLUSIVE: China Prison Force Organ Harvesting – “I was injected by doctors and when I woke, part of my liver and lungs had been removed”

July 7, 2025
Special Report

Inside China’s horrifying torture jails from gang-rape, human experiments and organ harvesting

July 7, 2025
Featured

The Sheikh Who Conquered Soccer and Coddles Warlords

July 4, 2025
News

In Senegal, luxury sheep shine at a beauty contest and fetch a high price

July 4, 2025
Featured

Trump Plans to Deport Elon Musk and Zohran Mamdani

July 4, 2025
Column

Will Senate President Akpabio Comply with the Court Order and Reinstate Akpoti-Uduaghan?

July 4, 2025
Next Post

"I am sorry", Ihedioha apologises to Ndigbo over ‘saboteur’ comment

Over 65% of Nigeria-bound containers end up in South East, says MD, Nigerian Inland Waterways

Discussion about this post

Why Igbos Must Stop Storing Corpses in Mortuaries — Ogilisi Igbo Speaks Out

OPINION |  Senate Rebels Against Court in Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan Case: A Constitutional Timebomb

Tinubu’s end game on Fubara

The Real Story Behind Campaign to Silence Delta State Polytechnic Rector Emmanuel Achuenu

BRICS summit in Brazil tries to reinvent collective approach to world’s problems

EXCLUSIVE: China Prison Force Organ Harvesting – “I was injected by doctors and when I woke, part of my liver and lungs had been removed”

  • British government apologizes to Peter Obi, as hired impostors, master manipulators on rampage abroad

    1238 shares
    Share 495 Tweet 310
  • Maids trafficked and sold to wealthy Saudis on black market

    1064 shares
    Share 426 Tweet 266
  • Flight Attendant Sees Late Husband On Plane

    967 shares
    Share 387 Tweet 242
  • ‘Céline Dion Dead 2023’: Singer killed By Internet Death Hoax

    902 shares
    Share 360 Tweet 225
  • Crisis echoes, fears grow in Amechi Awkunanaw in Enugu State

    735 shares
    Share 294 Tweet 184
  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest

British government apologizes to Peter Obi, as hired impostors, master manipulators on rampage abroad

April 13, 2023

Maids trafficked and sold to wealthy Saudis on black market

December 27, 2022
Flight Attendant Sees Late Husband On Plane

Flight Attendant Sees Late Husband On Plane

September 22, 2023
‘Céline Dion Dead 2023’: Singer killed By Internet Death Hoax

‘Céline Dion Dead 2023’: Singer killed By Internet Death Hoax

March 21, 2023
Chief Mrs Ebelechukwu, wife of Willie Obiano, former governor of Anambra state

NIGERIA: No, wife of Biafran warlord, Bianca Ojukwu lied – Ebele Obiano:

0

SOUTH AFRICA: TO LEAVE OR NOT TO LEAVE?

0
kelechi iheanacho

TOP SCORER: IHEANACHA

0
Goodluck Ebele Jonathan

WHAT CAN’TBE TAKEN AWAY FROM JONATHAN

0

Enugu Announces Date for 2026 Tech Festival

July 11, 2025

Delta State Polytechnic Governing Council Chairman Plummet into Infamy

July 11, 2025

C-section Births Can Increase Risk of Childhood Cancers —Researchers Reveal

July 9, 2025

Putin, Undeterred by Trump’s Words, Escalates His War Against Ukraine

July 9, 2025

ABOUT US

Time Africa Magazine

TIME AFRICA MAGAZINE is an African Magazine with a culture of excellence; a magazine without peer. Nearly a third of its readers hold advanced degrees and include novelists, … READ MORE >>

SECTIONS

  • Aviation
  • Column
  • Crime
  • Europe
  • Featured
  • Gallery
  • Health
  • Interviews
  • Israel-Hamas
  • Lifestyle
  • Magazine
  • Middle-East
  • News
  • Politics
  • Press Release
  • Russia-Ukraine
  • Science
  • Special Report
  • Sports
  • TV/Radio
  • UAE
  • UK
  • US
  • World News

Useful Links

  • AllAfrica
  • Channel Africa
  • El Khabar
  • The Guardian
  • Cairo Live
  • Le Republicain
  • Magazine: 9771144975608
  • Subscribe to TIME AFRICA biweekly news magazine

    Enjoy handpicked stories from around African continent,
    delivered anywhere in the world

    Subscribe

    • About Time Africa Magazine
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact Us
    • WHO’SWHO AWARDS

    © 2025 Time Africa Magazine - All Right Reserved. Time Africa is a trademark of Times Associates, registered in the U.S, & Nigeria. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service.

    No Result
    View All Result
    • WHO’SWHO AWARDS
    • Politics
    • Column
    • Interviews
    • Gallery
    • Lifestyle
    • Special Report
    • Sports
    • TV/Radio
    • Aviation
    • Health
    • Science
    • World News

    © 2025 Time Africa Magazine - All Right Reserved. Time Africa is a trademark of Times Associates, registered in the U.S, & Nigeria. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service.

    This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.