Prevalence of Unorthodox Psychoactive Substance Use Amongst Secondary School Students in Calabar South Local Government Area, Cross River State, Nigeria

Guided by six research questions, this study adopted survey design to investigate the prevalence of unorthodox psychoactive substance use amongst students. 700 students were drawn from a population of 10,560 students. ‘Prevalence of Use of Unorthodox Psychoactive Substances Questionnaire’ (PUUPSQ) was used for gathering data, which was analyzed using frequency, percentage, bar charts and pie charts. The results showed, amongst others, that 57% of the respondents had taken at least one of the 20 investigated substances, which indicates high prevalence. It was recommended, amongst others, that adequate awareness on these substances should be created amongst the stakeholders in schools. © 2024 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.