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SHADOWS OF EUPHORIA: A MIND LOST TO COCAINE 

SHADOWS OF EUPHORIA: A MIND LOST TO COCAINE  The first time Tayo snorted cocaine, he said it felt like heaven cracked open for him. The rush, the confidence, the sudden

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WHY DRUG LAWS MUST HEAL, NOT HURT 

WHY DRUG LAWS MUST HEAL, NOT HURT  (A Balm for the Bruised Foundation True-Life Story) It was 6:45 a.m. when the police broke into the dimly lit room at the

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WHEN THE COURT GAVE ME A SECOND CHANCE – NOT A SENTENCE 

WHEN THE COURT GAVE ME A SECOND CHANCE – NOT A SENTENCE  “I thought my life was over the day the judge said, ‘You’re going to rehab.’” Those were the

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TRUE-LIFE STORY: “THE DAY THE POLICE KNOCKED WITH KINDNESS”

TRUE-LIFE STORY: “THE DAY THE POLICE KNOCKED WITH KINDNESS” When the knock came at 2 a.m., Ada’s heart leapt into her throat. Her first instinct was fear, not of thieves,

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HOW INTERNATIONAL DRUG POLICIES SHAPE AFRICAN LIVES 

HOW INTERNATIONAL DRUG POLICIES SHAPE AFRICAN LIVES  When Ada’s brother, Chuka, left their small town in eastern Nigeria for South America, she thought he was chasing a dream. He had

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BEYOND THE FENCE: HOW STRICT BORDER CONTROL SAVES LIVES 

BEYOND THE FENCE: HOW STRICT BORDER CONTROL SAVES LIVES When Amina lost her younger brother, Farouk, to a cheap mix of tramadol and meth smuggled through Nigeria’s borders, she didn’t

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JIDE’S DILEMMA: SHOULD DRUG ABUSE BE DECRIMINALISED?

JIDE’S DILEMMA: SHOULD DRUG ABUSE BE DECRIMINALISED? When Jide walked into the small rehab centre in Kugbo that morning, his hands trembled, not from withdrawal, but from shame. The twenty-seven-year-old,

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WHEN THE SMOKE CLEARED: A MOTHER’S REDEMPTION AND THE NDLEA’S QUIET BATTLE 

WHEN THE SMOKE CLEARED: A MOTHER’S REDEMPTION AND THE NDLEA’S QUIET BATTLE  When Mariam first lit the small wrap of substance her friend called “stress reliever”, she never imagined it

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DREAMS BEYOND THE DUST: WHY OUR RURAL YOUTHS ARE SLIPPING AWAY

DREAMS BEYOND THE DUST: WHY OUR RURAL YOUTHS ARE SLIPPING AWAY It was a hot afternoon in Umueze, a small farming community tucked behind the rolling hills of Enugu State.

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WHEN LOVE FIGHTS THE HABIT: HOW I HELPED MY FRIEND BREAK FREE FROM DRUG USE 

WHEN LOVE FIGHTS THE HABIT: HOW I HELPED MY FRIEND BREAK FREE FROM DRUG USE  I still remember the night I found Tunde sprawled on the floor of his tiny