Drug Abuse is No Longer a Problem But a Pandemic — ID Cabasa

Veteran music producer, ID Cabasa, has described drug abuse as a pandemic, warning that its effects extend far beyond those who consume illicit substances.

Cabasa spoke on Saturday, February 14 during TVC’s TownSquare series themed, “War Against Drug Abuse: Taking control of today, protecting the future,” where he called for urgent and collective action to address the growing crisis.

According to him, drug abuse is no longer confined to users alone but has become a societal threat affecting everyone.

“If we say it’s just the users that are having issues, even you that you’re not using it, it is having an effect on you. We all created to this beast. Music has it’s own subtle way of creating mindset,” he said.

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He noted that conversations around substance abuse often focus on surface-level reactions rather than underlying causes.

“When we have these conversations amongst my colleagues, we notice that we always treat the symptoms, we don’t look at the root cause. We can say the family is why these youths sing about what they’re expecting, but we have to also look at it. Before we try to blame the father or mother, we should remember that they also raised other children who are not using these substance,” he stated.

Cabasa stressed the need to re-examine societal values, arguing that the glorification of material wealth fuels both drug trafficking and its promotion in popular culture.

“In the society that people see your greatness from what you have, material possessions, which is what encourages a lot of people who are doing the business not to get high but to make money,” he said.

He further alleged that some drug financiers subtly infiltrate the music industry under the guise of sponsorship.

“When some of them want to sing, they call the names of the example of rich people that they see. And these barons too, they are very smart in their agenda. They don’t come to the industry with the idea that they want to sell drugs. All they need to do is finance you. All they need is for the singers to mention their names and what they do,” he said.

Cabasa challenged stakeholders who oppose drug glorification in music to move beyond criticism and invest in positive alternatives.

“Those that are not in support of drugs, are we putting our money where our mouth is? Are we funding campaigns? or the type of music that will not carry all of those things. Are we just going to stop at the point of criticisms,” he asked.

He maintained that tackling what he described as a pandemic would require value reorientation, responsible content creation, and deliberate support for initiatives aimed at protecting young people and safeguarding the future.