Drug and substance abuse is an ever-expanding problem around the globe today and is recognized as a threat with serious effects on an individual?s health, security, social-economic and cultural welfare. Looking into the present program of Duterte?s administration, his election campaign up to the time when he occupies the highest seat in Malacanan, the promise of six (6) months of all-out war on the drug did not prosper but it is still his priority despite many concerns that are entangled in serving the Filipino people as his main agenda in addition to their safety day in and day out. Due to the prevalence of drugs in the black market, peddlers and street drug sellers are increasing and the demand is consistently high. Laws are enacted since this problem proliferate but no clear response and the answer was provided whether this has been resolved or not. Undeniably, the abuse of illegal drugs persisted in the Philippines. Young minds of the youth are distorted and professionals are becoming a liability to their organization. As mentioned by Abdulkarim (2005), students have shown consistently a considerable prevalence of drug substance using which varies in places, rates, kinds, types of users, and the actions as results of drug abuse in Nigeria. It is apparent and very evident that drug use and abuse in the Philippines as shown in the daily news published by the different news agencies and pronounced by the journalist is still a major problem despite the many laws and various measures taken by the concerned agencies of the government to curb it and awareness is at stake because many youngsters are still wanting to try due to curiosity, and proper information is very significant and the researcher believes one of the strategies in the reduction of drug users. Knowing the effect is already a warning. In one of the cities in Cagayan Valley where the study was conducted the out-of-school youth is one of the concentrations being addressed of every local government unit officers particularly at the barangay level. From the selected identified barangays where the presence of out-of-school youth is high and was identified as trying to start and indulge in drug-using and selling. All these are glitches that created other and varied problems for the community?s stakeholders that affected the peace and order and tranquillity. Everyone aims to be living in a peaceful society. Drug use, drunkenness, gambling, and prostitution are instrumental to the easy target including recruitment. With the foregoing problems relative to drug use and abuse, the researcher looked into the level of awareness of the out-of-school youth in the adverse effects of drug use and abuse because she believes that when a young mind is not busy, it tends to be thinking of something that will make the brain works be it legal or illegal, productive or non-productive during the day.

drug abuse

Adverse effect

Out-of-School-Youth

Level of awareness