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The study was aimed at determining the prevalence and predictive
factors associated with alcohol and other psychoactive substance use among
medical students of the University of Ilorin. A self administered interview
schedule consisting of WHO Students Drug Use Survey Questionnaire, and
the General Health Questionnaire-12 were administered to a weighted
proportionate sample of the respondents. The most currently used substances
were mild stimulants (19.4%), alcohol (12.5%), hypnosedatives (3.4%),
tobacco (1.7%), cannabis (1.7%), opioids (0.9%) and organic solvents
(0.4%). Parents’ alcohol use, respondents perceived harm of alcohol use,
level of religiosity, peers’ influence were found to have significant
association with current alcohol use. There was no significant association
between respondent’s perceived harm of substance use and current use of
tobacco, hypnosedatives, mild stimulants and cannabis.
Eighty five percent of respondents had a GHQ score of 0-2 (negative)
while 14.7% had a score of 3-12 (positive). There was no significant
association between psychiatric morbidity on one hand and current or
lifetime substance use on the other. We concluded that while the prevalence
of current use of some psychoactive substances has reduced over the past 6
years, others have increased. It was suggested that planners of medical
education should continue to lay emphasis on the risks of psychoactive
substance use as part of the medical school curriculum. Other governmental
and non-governmental bodies should also continue to plan and implement
campaigns against substance use, not only among medical students, but the
society in general.