IT was Karl Marx a German born prominent thinker and writer on topics related to economics, political economy, and society that was widely credited with the statement that referred to religion as “the opium of the people”
Opium happened to be an addictive and somewhat hallucinating drug prepared from the juice of the opium poppy, used illicitly as a narcotic and occasionally in medicine as an analgesic. Essentially, it takes a user away from the reality of a painful present, apparently to a world of make belief.
Marx was firm in his belief that religion was used by the ruling class to control the masses by reinforcing obedience and conformity. He thought that religion’s rituals, doctrines, and moral codes ultimately helped to legitimize existing power structures and discourage dissent.
Marx equally believed that religion created a false consciousness in the oppressed by diverting their attention away from the exploitation and class structure of their everyday lives. He, therefore, propagated that religion made people feel better about being oppressed, and that it prevented them from doing something about their deplorable condition, instead they are focused on what is awaiting them in the hereafter.
Understandably therefore, Marx went ahead to project that after the revolution that will usher in a workers controlled egalitarian society there will be no place for religion. I really cannot say with certainty the level of prevalence of the use of opiums in Karl Marx’s 19 the century Germany and indeed Europe. I may have studied some of his postulations including the Communist Manifesto which he co-authored with Engels, it is equally significant that it be stated rather clearly and unambiguously that beyond all those, I have never been a fan or ideological follower of Marx. I am however deeply worried at the high prevalence of addictions to various forms of opiums in today’s society. I feel very concerned that we are losing a significant percentage of the youth of this generation to drugs, substance abuse and addiction to opiums of diverse forms and formulations.
At the peak of the addiction, many victims lose every sense of inhibitions, with many going completely mad on the street. The number of mentally deranged and dehumanized young men and women on our streets today is rising rather steadily. Marx’s theory of religion as Opium is strongly tied to the theory of escapism or the desire to exist outside of the reality which is more often than not harsh and painful. While not justifying any form of substance abuse or addiction to hard drugs, the question one is compelled to seek answers to is, what are the harsh socioeconomic realities the youths and adolescents are struggling to escape from? The operational economy is harsh, suffocating with no concrete hope beckoning. Infact the opportunities that used to be taken for granted are now fast vanishing.
Many youths/ adolescents of today are victims of parental aloofness which has resulted in wide range psychological imbalance. Many are struggling with loneliness and in some cases, acute depression bordering on suicide tendencies. The prevailing arts, culture and music also tend to make heroes and heroins out of individuals hooked on drug and socially maladjusted lifestyles. When the family system fails to provide love, succour and direction, the future becomes fragile and frightening and resort to Opiums becomes an unenviable available option.
Truth be told, practically everyone today is hooked or addicted to one substance or the other including being hooked on pursuit of money, people of opposite sex or power and fame. It has also been further established that those hooked to the tenets of their religious faith and doctrine are largely exempted from the scotching prevalence of drug addiction and substance abuse which has deeply endangered the very fabrics of our society of the now and the hope of the future. As a people, we are face to face with the imperatives of how to save our society from the debilitating effects of drug addiction and substance abuse. Studies have confirmed that drugs and substance abuse fuel crime, social delinquency, misdemeanor and even insurgency. The scary thing about the debilitating effects of drugs addiction is that the targets and eventual victims are the youth who should be society’s most valuable assets and bridge to the future. Yes, the youth are the leaders of tomorrow, but that tomorrow is already being threatened by wide scale preponderance of drug abuse and this, to say the least, presents a gloomy if not bleak tomorrow.
Our world has lost great potentials, many families put in disarray, great hopes aborted due to the excessive use of illicit drugs and substances. We can readily remember how Whitney Houston, music maestro also called the Voice was found dead in her bath at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on the eve of the Grammy Awards after a cocaine overdose. She was barely 48 years old. A great star was eclipsed by drugs addiction.
In our own clime, the music marverik, Majek Fashek, outstanding reggae legend, died in his sleep in New York City at 57. He was battling oesophageal cancer, while also known to be suffering from drug addiction. In every of our neighbourhoods, we hear of death cases from drug abuse. The dead appear to be luckier for many more are walking dead never able again to reconnect with their original destinies. In a recent Christian prayer meeting, I saw a crowd surge out when prayer was to be said for those struggling with cases of addiction and substance abuse. They needed the force of faith in prayers to be free from Opium addiction. They no longer can help themselves but now rely on powers from on high for some level of restoration to normalcy. I earnestly had wished Karl Marx could be brought back to life to witness to how the Opium of religion was being deployed to destroy the strongholds of drug addiction and substance abuse to actually set bound destinies free. A case of one opium being deployed to destroy the destructive effects of the real opium.
Drugs such as tramadol, legally and legitimately prescribed by doctors for pain relief, are today randomly and routinely abused by millions in search of a fix or a release from poverty, unemployment and lack of opportunities.
According to a survey by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the Centre for Research and Information on Substance Abuse (CRISA) with technical support from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the prevalence of any drug use in Nigeria is estimated at over 20 percent, corresponding to over 20 million people aged 15-64 years who had used a psychoactive substance in the past year for non-medical purposes. The highest levels of drug use were among those aged 25-39 years which we can regard as youths.
Also, up to 67 percent of adolescents in urban Nigeria have used substances. Factors including experimental curiosity, peer pressure, poor socio-economic conditions at homes and the need for extra energy for daily activities have been identified as contributors to illicit drug use.
Aggravating the situation are the manners and genres of music that influence the young, and have a negative effect on their behaviour, schoolwork, social interactions, and mood. Music lyrics that glorify drugs, sex, and violence have become the order of the day.
The perceptions and effects of music-video messages are important as exposure to violence, sexual messages and stereotypes, and use of substances of abuse in music videos might produce significant changes in behaviours and attitudes of young viewers.
Furthermore, there is a strong correlation between drug addiction, rape and crime. Combating drug addiction and trafficking in Nigeria is a good first step to ending the menace of rapes and crimes in the country.
Preventive measures such as awareness and advocacy programmes can go a long way to stem the tide. There’s the need for an urgent call to be put across for wellmeaning individuals, families and foundations to embark on education/awareness seminars in our secondary and tertiary institutions. We should not get tired of letting the adolescents and youth to know the far reaching devastating effects of drug abuse and resort to substance abuse. We must engage our youths and do let them know the danger in choosing to go the way of drug addiction and substance abuse. More serious steps need to be taken in the direction of cutting off supplies and making the barons and traffickers to face the full weight of the law. We must go the full hug to save our youths and the future of our society. It is ultimately better to be hooked to your faith in God irrespective of the opinion expressed on that by Karl Marx rather than be an agnostic whose life is messed up under the captivity of drug addiction and substance abuse. Together, we can save the future with concerted actions of today.
