Effect of illicit drug use on human behaviors in west Africa: cases of Grand-Bassam (Côte d'Ivoire)

Abstract

The use of illicit drug represents a growing danger to social, physical, emotional and job and institutional related problems affecting the well-being of Ivorian youth today. The purpose of this study was to investigated and evaluated the existing knowledge of illegal types of drug usage among youth groups and its associated behavioral disorders and effects in Grand-Bassam district (Côte d'Ivoire). Urine samples were collected from each participant, amongst targeted youth populations for analysis, participants (n=442), age (≥14 years), both genders were randomly selected. Basic information, economic status, and drug usage history were collected using structured questionnaires. Data were analyzed using Python and GraphPad (Prism 8.4.2). Our results finding show that people age 20-35 years with highest illicit drug consumption (57.7%), tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) was the most consumed illicit product, followed by benzodiazepines (BZO) with 92.09% and 24.05%, respectively. The common effects associated with THC use include hallucination, while use of morphine seems to be on steady increase with aggressiveness disorder observed among its users who come more than one illicit drug  combinations.

Keywords: Behavioral disorders, illegal substances, drug consumption, health risks, mental health, drug-related harms.