Illicit Drug Abuse and Criminal Behaviour among Adolescent: Therivers State Experience

Abstract

Many young people in Rivers State are addicted to psychoactive drugs especially alcohol, mariwana, and tramadol, which propel them to commit violent crimes. Violent crime is on the rise in Rivers State, and its prevalence is further compounded by the increasing living of illicit drug abuse, especially by adolescents. Many teenagers who are under the influence of illegal substance engage in various forms of unlawful behaviours particularlygang violence,armed robbery, rape, kidnapping, illegal drug trade, trafficking in small arms and murder, while others under the influence of illicit drugs engage in petty crimes such as mobile phone snatching, car battery theft, burglary etc. Several scholarly arguments have been advanced as to the cause of high level of crime in Nigeria including poverty, unemployment, and frustration due to economic hardship. Other academic debates have also centred on whether drug abuse has any connection with criminal behavior. This paper, however, attempts to use Goldstein’s (1985) tripartite conceptual framework to explain the drug-crime connection in Rivers State.