Poor upbringing and accessibility of drugs have been named as the major causes of drug abuse among teenagers.
Ms Grace Gitau who is a counselling specialist in Nakuru Town on Tuesday argued that teenagers who have been brought up by house helps or those who spend a considerable time of their young lives withdrawn from their parents were more likely to resort to alcoholism and substance abuse.
Gitau noted that it would be wiser if parents allocated more time to be with their children as their absence was prompting their children to experiment with anything around them including drugs.
She also noted that availability of drugs to teenagers only served to aggravate matters.
"If a roll of bhang only costs Sh20 and they are readily available then it goes to show why more and more children are increasingly turning to drugs," she stated.
On this she recommended a massive crackdown on drug peddlers and intensive counselling to all children affected.
Her sentiments come barely five days after the death of five teenagers who perished in a grisly accident in Salgaa after their vehicle rammed on an oncoming passenger bus.
A police report indicated that the teenagers were allegedly drunk and that their vehicle was speeding during the January 1 incident.