By Nasratu Kargbo
Attacking, shaving heads, circulating photographs and videos of drug users and even sacking police and army officers who are caught taking drugs are actions that have been vehemently condemned by representatives of different Civil Society Organizations (CSOs). They have therefore called on the government to ensure that the National Drugs Control Act 2008 is reviewed.
The Executive Director of Social Linkage for Youth Development and Child Link (SLYDCL) Habib T. Kamara in an interview with journalists on the 17th of April 2024 after a meeting held with other CSOs to brainstorm the way forward to fight the menace said the rights of drug users are being violated and condemned the approach used to interact with them.
“People who take drugs need attention and not punishment. We are calling on the government, for the approach of law enforcers to these drug users to change” he stressed.
The Director said that President Julius Maada Bio in his recent address on the matter of Kush had asked that the users be decriminalized, with a focus on trying to capture those supplying these deadly drugs. Kamara added that the police are yet to arrest or show persons that are involved in the business, but instead abuse the rights of drug users.
Despite the President’s pronouncement, Kamara cited that a few days ago police officers went to raid ghettos and ended up firing teargas. He advised that the police use another approach to reach out to drug users, as the use of force or punishment is not the way to go. He said even people in communities have been abusing the rights of drug users, which has led them to relocate to other harder-to-reach communities.
He said if the country is to reduce drug consumption, a lot of focus should be put on the supply chain, noting that all the users need is rehabilitation and reintegration. Speaking on the importance of breaking the supply chain, the Director cited that if a drug user is taken to a rehabilitation centre and later taken to their community to be reintegrated and the drug is still in the community, the person will find it difficult to stop taking the drug.
He also called on the government to create a rehabilitation centre in hospitals across the country, to create accessibility to rehabilitation services in rural areas and nationwide.
Kamara highlighted some of the challenges that the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has to grapple with and asked that the Ministry of Finance support the agency which according to him is poorly budgeted for.
The Administrative and Logistics Officer of the Service Users and Family Members Association (SUFMA), Ednna B. Bonna spoke very passionately on the issue, emphasizing the sacking of officers who are caught using drugs.
She advised that instead of sacking them, they should find out their situation and why they are taking drugs. She recommended that counselling, investigating and understanding the root causes will be the best thing to do.
Bonna added that sacking an officer amidst the high cost of living in the country would do more harm than good.
“I do not think that is a remedy, you can sack that person from their job, but do you think that the person will stop, No, in fact, you add more stress on that person and make them depressed” she said. Bonna mentioned that if a father is sacked, they would not be able to fend for their family.
She called on the government to review the 2008 Act, which she described as a strong law which she believes is the reason for the sacking of officers.
According to Section 8 (a) of the National Drugs Control Act 2008 “A person who without lawful authority buys, sells, possess or under his control, any drug or uses any drug by smoking, inhaling, sniffing, injecting or otherwise introduces the drug into his body, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not less than five years”
In addition, (b) of that same section states that “A person who without lawful authority injects any person with or in any manner administers a drug to any person, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not less than five years”
This section indicates that any person found in possession of drugs is considered a criminal.
SLYDCL, Foundation for Rural and Urban Transformation (FoRUT) and other CSOs have formed a coalition to fight drugs in the country.
Copyright © 2024 Politico (24/04/24)
