Drugs: JAMB Physical and Health Education Questions, Answers & Notes

What Drugs covers in the JAMB Physical and Health Education syllabus

A drug is any substance that changes the way the body or mind works. Medicinal drugs (medicines) are used to treat, prevent or cure disease, while some drugs are harmful and forbidden by law (illegal drugs). Using a drug correctly, as prescribed, is drug use; using it wrongly, in the wrong amount or for the wrong purpose (including taking medicine without a doctor's prescription) is drug misuse/abuse; and a strong physical or mental need for a drug is drug addiction (dependence). Drugs may act as stimulants (speeding up body activity) or depressants (slowing it down), and in sport, taking banned drugs to improve performance is doping. Drug abuse damages a person's physical and mental health and also harms the family and society, so the best protection is to refuse and avoid harmful drugs, supported by health education. The main point: drugs affect the body; medicines help when used correctly, but drug abuse harms health and should be prevented.

For Drugs, JAMB expects you to be able to:

• Define a drug and distinguish medicinal drugs from illegal/harmful drugs
• Distinguish drug use, misuse/abuse and addiction (dependence); note doping in sport
• Recall effects of drug abuse (physical, mental, family, society) and prevention through refusal and health education

Key facts & revision notes: Drugs

These are the recurring points our Drugs questions test — revise them until each feels automatic, then practise the questions above to lock them in.

• A drug is any substance that changes the way the body or mind works.
• Medicinal drugs (medicines) are used to treat, prevent or cure disease.
• Using a drug correctly as prescribed is drug use.
• Using a drug wrongly, in the wrong amount or for the wrong purpose is drug misuse/abuse.
• A strong physical or mental need for a drug is drug addiction (dependence).
• Taking medicine without a doctor's prescription is a form of drug misuse.
• A drug that is harmful and forbidden by law is an illegal drug.
• Drug abuse can damage a person's physical and mental health.
• Drug abuse can also harm the family, community and society.
• A stimulant is a drug that speeds up body activity (e.g.
• increases alertness/heart rate).
• A depressant is a drug that slows down body activity.
• The best way to avoid drug abuse is to refuse and avoid harmful drugs.
• Athletes taking banned drugs to improve performance is called doping, which is against the rules.
• Health education about drugs helps people avoid and prevent drug abuse.
• A drug is a substance that changes how the body or mind works.
• Medicines are used to treat or cure disease.
• Using a drug wrongly is called drug abuse.
• A strong need for a drug is called addiction.
• Drug abuse harms health and the family and society.
• The main point is that drugs affect the body; medicines help when used correctly, but drug abuse harms health and should be prevented.

Worked examples

Three Drugs questions with the answer and a short explanation, so you can see how the topic is set before you practise the full set.

How Drugs is tested in JAMB Physical and Health Education

Our Drugs bank holds 20 questions (2 easy, 14 medium, 4 hard). JAMB Physical and Health Education typically returns to Drugs year after year, so steady practice on this topic is high-value revision. Questions are multiple-choice with four options, and at UTME pace you get roughly 40 seconds each — which is why timed practice matters.

How to answer Drugs questions

Work the stem first and predict the answer before you look at the options; then eliminate the ones that contradict the key facts above. Watch for “which is not…”, “all of the above” and “except” style stems, which are where rushed candidates lose easy marks on Drugs. If a calculation or a precise definition is involved, work it from first principles rather than guessing from a half-remembered rule. When two options look right, re-read the stem for the qualifier that separates them — JAMB rarely repeats an option by accident. If you are still unsure, eliminate the two weakest choices to lift your odds, flag the question, and move on; never burn a full minute on one Physical and Health Education item when the exam gives you about forty seconds each. Then come back to flagged questions with whatever time remains. The single most reliable way to get faster at Drugs is repeated timed practice, so use the button above until the recurring patterns feel automatic.

Common mistakes to avoid in Drugs

The errors that cost marks on Drugs are usually careless rather than conceptual: misreading a negative stem, confusing two similar terms, or rushing a definition you actually know. Candidates also over-rely on “expo” and last-minute cramming instead of understanding the topic — which fails the moment JAMB rephrases a familiar idea. Treat every option as a claim to be checked against the facts above, keep your working tidy for any calculation, and don’t change a considered answer on a hunch. Above all, revise Drugs actively by answering questions, not just by re-reading notes — recall under time is what the exam rewards.

Frequently asked questions

Is Drugs part of the JAMB Physical and Health Education syllabus?

Yes. Drugs is a recognised topic in the JAMB Physical and Health Education syllabus, covering define a drug and distinguish medicinal drugs from illegal/harmful drugs. You should be able to recall its key facts and apply them to multiple-choice questions.

How many Drugs questions can I practise on Belmadeng?

There are 20 original, JAMB-standard Drugs questions in our free bank, each with the correct answer and a worked explanation. You can practise them untimed or as a timed test.

What are the most important points to know about Drugs?

A drug is any substance that changes the way the body or mind works. Medicinal drugs (medicines) are used to treat, prevent or cure disease, while some drugs are harmful and forbidden by law (illegal drugs). Using a drug correctly, as prescribed, is drug use; using it wrongly, in the wrong amount or…

How do I answer Drugs questions quickly in JAMB?

Read the stem carefully, eliminate clearly wrong options, and match the remaining choices to the key facts for Drugs. Practising timed Drugs questions builds the speed you need for UTME's pace of about 40 seconds per question.

Are these JAMB Physical and Health Education Drugs questions past questions or original?

They are original questions written to JAMB (UTME) standard and mapped to the official syllabus — not reproduced past papers. This keeps them legal to use freely while closely mirroring how the real exam tests the topic.

Where can I practise Drugs questions free without signing up?

Right here — tap “Start Drugs practice” on this page to begin instantly. Belmadeng's CBT practice is completely free and needs no sign-up, download or subscription.

About these questions: original, JAMB-standard items written from the official UTME Physical and Health Education syllabus (last reviewed 2026-09-18). Belmadeng is an independent study platform and is not affiliated with JAMB. Spotted an error? Use the report link.