Editorial: Authorities In The Battle Against Substance Abuse Want “The Drug Distress” Declared An Emergency

𝐀𝐂𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐎 𝐋𝐈𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐀 Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA), drugs such as heroin, cocaine, hallucinogens, crack, amphetamines, marijuana, alcohol, inhalants, prescription drugs, and kush are damaging Liberia’s youthful population. As a result, they dwell in unfinished buildings and cemeteries, smoke dead bodies’ bones mixed with drug, among others.

𝐒𝐄𝐄𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐅𝐔𝐋 population damaging themselves with illicit drugs, especially with “Kush”, which the Egyptians allegedly used for embalmment, troubles the LDEA, and professionals of the drug-fighting agency are calling on lawyers, religious leaders, the government, civil society, and so on, to declare the drug distress an emergency.

𝐇𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑, 𝐀𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 LDEA the drug epidemic battle is challenged in several ways: the LDEA lacks manpower, logistics, motivating salary structure, among others. Narcotic drug combat is costly and the government impairs LDEA’s scope of operation with little budget, which limits the agency’s robust mission to clampdown on importers, dealers and users nationwide.

𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐃𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐒, 𝐖𝐇𝐎 should have served as whistleblowers for drug being on the rampage and it negatively destroying potential youths of Liberia, are dealers and users. Pipeline, Wein Town, Barnersville, King Gray, Redlight communities and several counties are the hub of illicit drug transaction, according to a source at the LDEA’s office at Fiamah community.

𝐍𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒, 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐄𝐘𝐄𝐒 are on the in-coming Unity Party administration to clampdown on drug dealers, importers and users as it accuses the CDC-led government of smuggling drug, especially kush, which is making several youths and adults useless and causing them to commit crime.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝟓𝟒𝐓𝐇 𝐋𝐄𝐆𝐈𝐒𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄 passed the new amended drug law, and it was subsequently signed into law by President George M. Weah in August 2023, but it lacks implementation. The public consequently refer to it as a toothless bulldog. The substance abuse law provides penalties for drug possession or use, supply, trafficking, production, an alternative to incarceration, harm reduction, public health and human rights, confiscation of properties, among others, and will also reduce the number of disadvantaged youths in the streets. The law, which is on the book without implementation, has caused the substance abuse to spread like wild fire, frustrating parents and guardians because their children keep falling prey to narcotic drugs.