As part of efforts to fight drug and substance abuse, Midlands State University Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation in collaboration with Youth in Combined Action Against Drug and Substance Abuse (YICAADSA) conducted a community workshop at the MSU Graduate School of Business Leadership on 12 May 2023.
The workshop ran under the theme, ‘Entrepreneurship as a Tool to Curb Drug and Substance Abuse amongst Youths’.
In her opening remarks, Executive Dean-Faculty of Business Sciences, Dr. Miriam Mugwati urged MSU students to take heed of information that will be presented to help curb drug and substance abuse which has claimed the lives of many people including students.
Director-MSU Counselling Services, Reverent T. Shumba delivered a presentation on drugs and their street names, signs of addiction as well as drugs and health implications.
“Today, many youths are involved in the consumption of drugs such as Crystal Meth/Guka/Mutoriro and these drugs can lead to decreased appetite and loss of weight.
“Depression is one of the major influencers of drug and substance abuse and depression is a mood disorder that is usually caused by many problems befalling our lives resulting in us failing to cope with life,” said Reverent Shumba.
She also urged students to seek the assistance from MSU Counselling Services and also be involved in entrepreneurial activities such as chicken farming to help prevent idleness.
YICAADSA-Programs Officer, Mr. K. Chikadza took students through a session on the negative effects of drug and substance abuse.
“Drugs such as Crystal Meth are very dangerous poisons that first act as body stimulants but then start to destroy the body.
“Youths today take the drugs as sexual enhancers, and they can make a person to go for three days without falling asleep.
“In collaboration with MSU, we can help curb drug and substance abuse through medical group therapy, individual therapy, family therapy as well as patient rehabilitation and detoxification,” said Mr. Chikadza.
Students who attended the event expressed gratitude for the efforts made by the University and its various partners to educate them about the effects of drug and substance abuse and how it can be curbed.
The event was concluded by speeches from students highlighting the dangers of drug abuse.