By Sulaiman Jalloh
Parliament has expressed concern over the alarming consumption and implications of the dangerous Kush drug across the country. The country’s legislature on Monday, March 18th, 2024, at parliament building engaged some public institutions crucial in combating the scourge.
Hon. Bashiru Silikie, the deputy leader of government business and the chairman of the parliamentary oversight committee on works and public assets, said parliament has decided to engage concerned stakeholders including the Ministry of Health, Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone, the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency and the media to proffer solutions to halt or drastically mitigate the consumption of harmful drugs.
“We summoned this meeting for concerned authorities to tell us what is happening because every corner you go in this country you find people consuming drugs,” Hon. Silikie said, noting that they want to know if the laws on drugs are not strong enough so they can pass much stringent ones. He added that if the authorities want a national health emergency, parliament will support them actualize it.
The lawmaker stressed that they want to know how harmful drugs get into the country and how the National Revenue Authority collects taxes on those drugs.
“If they don’t pass through our ports, we also want to know how they enter the country,” he noted, pointing out that a lot of allegations have been made against the Sierra Leone Police. He furthered that Parliament wants to know those importing drugs into the country, saying that if they are coming into the country, they must be brought in by some people.
“This is extremely serious and extremely worrying,” he stated, saying the House of Parliament wants to know the way forward.
The executive director of the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency, Andrew Jaiah Kaika said the agency in partnership with the Ministry of social Welfare, Ministry of Health, Minister of Information and Civic Education and Ministry of Youth Affairs have launched the first government rehabilitation center at Hastings, disclosing that there are 39 drug affected persons at the said facility for rehabilitation. “The agency is working with other partners like the Sierra Leone Police, Sierra Leone Alcohol Policy Alliance and the Minister of Health to the develop a response on addressing drugs related issues,” the executive director said.
According to Kaikai, for Parliament to summon all of the authorities concerned to the fight against drugs is the way forward, saying drug abuse, especially Kush, has nothing to do with politics, but it is about the survival of Sierra Leone. He added that President Bio’s top development agenda is food, while expressing concern over who is going to feed the country looking at the current status of several young folks being destroyed by substance abuse.
Chief Medical Officer at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Sartie M. Kanneh said ages between twenty to twenty-four have been affected by Kush, noting that ages between twenty to thirty-five constitute more than seventy-five percent of the country’s population. “We have been working with other people. Of course, we have opened the rehabilitation center to handle those affected,” the medical officer pointed out.
Making a statement, the Inspector General Police, William Fayia Sellu said the issue of drugs is serious to every citizen and one of their functions is to enforce rules and regulations, noting the issue of drug is becoming a real threat, adding that they deal with lots of drug related issues.
He disclosed that the first quantity [three packets] of marshmallow was intercepted at the trade section of the airport. “When we focus at the airport, we realize that they shifted from the airport to the maritime domain, that was when we intercepted the then Hon. Conteh with seven pistols and ammunitions” he asserted, revealing those two matters were charged to court.
The police boss noted that the fight against drug should be a multi-sectorial approach. He therefore suggested that there should be an establishment of a fast-track court.
In their various submissions, Hon. Emmerson Lamina said he supports the suggestion made by the police boss to establish a fast-track court to expedite drug related cases, saying he was expecting big names to be announced. On the other hand, Hon. Aaron Aruna Korom of the opposition said Sierra Leone does not have problems with laws, but rather with their enforcement.
Representatives of the National Revenue Authority, Ministry of Social Welfare, Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone and other public institutions also made submissions on the hike in drug intake and their commitment to combat it.
Copy right –Printed in the Expo Times News on Wednesday, March 20th, 2024 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)
