Human rights abuses experienced by people who use drugs. A Nigeria-focused review.

Abstract

Drug abuse is a global health issue. Even though people use drugs for different reasons, sometimes drugs become central to their lives and they believe that they cannot live without them. Such people are dependent on the drugs they use. The social stigma of alcohol, and other drugs, use remains in society. People who use or abuse drugs are highly stigmatized, which often prevents them from being included and accepted within society and their communities. People see them as irresponsible and a threat to the environment. Some families cannot acknowledge that a family member uses drugs, or provide them with proper treatment in hospitals or rehabilitation centers because of the accompanying stigma, which the family may not like to be associated with. Many people who use drugs are jobless and poor, and have been disengaged from their families, education and training. They may resort to self-medication when they need medical attention. Some of them cannot afford expensive medical services and may die as a result of treatable illnesses. In some cases, medical service providers can be reluctant to admit people who use drugs to their facilities and, thus, they face compounding rejection. This paper describes human rights abuses occurring among drug users, and also reviews the available literature on human rights violations experienced by people who use drugs with focus in the Nigerian socio-cultural environment.