Pubdate: Sat, 24 May 2003
Source: East African Standard, The (Kenya)
Copyright: 2003 The East African Standard
Contact:  http://www.eastandard.net/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1743
Author: Pauline Kageni

400,000 YOUTHS 'USING DRUGS'

About 400,000 Kenyan youths are being initiated into drug abuse annually, a 
health conference was told yesterday.

Participants at the conference, held by the National Tobacco-Free 
Initiative Committee (NTFIC), heard that the youth used tobacco as the 
initial drug. The shocking statistics were given by NTFIC chairman, Prof 
Peter A Odhiambo. The conference was held to launch a brochure on the 
adverse effects of tobacco.

Present at the function was Joseph Kaguthi, the National Agency for the 
Campaign Against Drug Abuse (Nacada) boss and Dr Ahmed E O Ogwell, Head of 
Department of Non-Communicable Diseases at the Health Ministry.

Odhiambo observed that tobacco was casting a heavy economic burden on the 
country, as Kenya's most productive age-group was now dying prematurely. 
The committee pledged to launch a more comprehensive booklet by the end of 
the year. This year's World No-Tobacco Day will be observed on May 31, 2003.

He lamented that the Kenyan Law had not yet passed the Tobacco Control Bill 
while Tanzania had done so.
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