Voluntary Drug Testing at City of Harare Hatcliff Community Center

On the 26th of September 2024, representatives of the International Wellness Center conducted free voluntary urine drug testing at Hatcliff Community Center.
A total of 10 individuals, all males between the ages of 22-36 submitted urine samples for testing.
The testing method used was a 6-drug panel that is specific for the folloing drugs of abuse:

Drugs Tested

Methamphetamine
Cocaine
Opiates
Oxycodone
Benzodiazepines
Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)

THC was the only drug detected among the volunteers, of which 3 out of the 10 individuals tested positive.

Overview of THC

THC is the main psychoactive drug found in the Cannabis plant, also known as marijuana, weed,skunk, chamba and mbanje. The Cannabis plant is grown and cultivated in illicit farms throughout Zimbabwe. A chemically diverse and hetereogenus substance, cannabis is addictive and contains, in addition to THC, 483 other compounds 65 of which also includes cannabidiol(CBD). THC can be consumed via smoking the dried and crushed cannabis buds of purified THC crystals, or through oral ingestion.
Cannabis has various physical and mental effects which include:

euphoria
altered states of mind
altered sense of time
difficulty concentrating
impaired short-term memory
impaired body movement (balance and fine motor control)
relaxation
increased appetite

At high doses more concerning symptoms including anxiety, paranoia, delusions (including ideas of reference), hallucinations and overt psychosis. After alcohol, THC is the most common and widely abused illicit drug in Zimbabwe. It is particularly problematic in that it often acts as a gateway to the abuse of harder, more dangerous drugs such as methamphetamine (crystal meth); the drug most notorious among the nation’s youth today.

Conclusion

Drug and substance abuse is clearly a very serious epidemic plaguing Zimbabwe’s population and in particular its youth. We as the International Wellness center would like to thank Global Health, Harare City Council and Hatcliff Community Center for accommodating our participation in this event and facilitating this particular outreach in service of our community.

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