AMIS MONGUSHO TITUS2024-10-152024-10-152024-09-02https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12311/1853ABSTRACT This research study titled “Drug Abuse and the Economic Wellbeing of Youths: A Case Study of Youths in Central Division, Kapchorwa Municipality. The purpose of this study was to establish the extent to which drug abuse has affected the youths economically especially in the aspects of, poverty, crimes and unemployment. The study was descriptive and analytical in nature where both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection were used through Questionnaires, interviews and observation. Collected data was analyzed using SPSS and was presented in form of frequency tables, percentages and graphs. The findings established that youths constituted a large segment of drug abusers though adults also are involved. The level of consumption or abuse of drugs was discovered to be growing at a faster rate which has resulted into an increase in the spread of diseases, health illnesses like cancer, HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis among others are also in the increase due to increasing use of illegal drugs. The economic challenges youths face as a result of drug abuse included productivity loss, health costs and crime costs. Emphasizing measures such as counselling, community watch, law enforcement against drug abuse would help to solve the problem of drug abuse. The study therefore suggested and recommended that; implementation of strict laws on production of drugs can help to reduce the vice, community sensitization, neighborhood watch in addition to regulation of strict laws on production and consumption of drugs. Nevertheless, police officers involved in corruption should be and emphasizing counselling sessions to the youths addicted to drug abuse through education, treatment, and self-help support projects. Further research could be conducted on drug abuse and its impact on psychosocial wellbeing.enThesis