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By Joseph Tumbey
The opposition Unity Party political Leader , Joseph Nyumah Boakai has characterized Liberia as a state of drug epidemic, and called for the immediate arrest of the situation in order to avoid health circumstances , social, economic, and security implications on the country.
“We are fast gaining notoriety as a transshipment country for illicit narcotics, with the country shamefully appearing now as a -narco-state. The country’s weak law enforcement capacity, porous borders, and proximity to major drug transit routes help to contribute to trafficking to and through Liberia.
“The recent seizure of 100 million United States Dollars worth of drugs, the trial saga that ensued, and the mysterious and unexplained departure from the country of all those who stood trial and “acquitted,” is an indication of the extent to which the country has been rapidly exposed in the last few years to the narco trade, and the vulnerability of Liberian society to the impact of such large-scale assault by international criminal enterprises. Significantly, it reveals the failure of national leadership, a weak and criminal justice system and crucially raises suspicion about the probable complicity of some higher-ups in this affair”. Boakai cautioned Liberians on World Drug Day.
Baokai disclosed that there are over 866 ghettos in Monrovia serving as homes to chronic drug users while the ghettos are associated with illicit activities including launching pads for drug-related crimes.
He said , drug abuse and subsequent addiction is a scourge with dire consequences and the major cause of a lost future for many young people across the World most especially Liberia.
Baokai acknowledged that the Abusers of drugs are prone to mental health illnesses and high suicidal tendencies, and may also die prematurely due to drug overdose. “As already mentioned, dependency on drugs often leads to crimes, which put both the users and society in peril. These young people are stigmatized and face harsh societal isolation. And at this rate, the country’s potential demographic dividend stemming from a substantially young population, faces an existential threat, with Liberia at risk of losing its possible productive manpower base, especially given the high rate of school dropout among young drug users”.
The opposition UP Political Leader said, the young people who live in so-called ghettos strewn across the country, in cemeteries, on the streets, and in other unsavory places often resort to crimes, including arm robberies while crimes and their effect on victims and those who commit them are heartbreaking because they know they are motivated by the drive for drugs.
Given the analysis on the status, he estimated that 2 in 10 youth in Liberia are users of narcotic substances. “Some estimates have it that about 13% of the population is affected by drug addiction. The correlation between substance abuse and crimes is equally worrying, with the police reporting an increase in drug-related crimes”.
However, he blamed the Weah Administration and said , they are incapable, unwilling, complicit, and indifferent to the crisis as they don’t see it as most Liberians see it–A NATIONAL EMERGENCY.
“We will address this grave situation by providing responsible leadership that would institute appropriate measures to bring hope to the young victims of this epidemic, relief to hurting families, and assurances, to frankly, a shocked society. It will include declaring it not just an emergency but a national security crisis situation that must be arrested through a system-wide approach. This means looking at this crisis and determining the extent to which the failure of the provision of public goods, social service delivery, weaknesses in the criminal justice system, and inadequacies of the public health system have all conspired to contribute to what may yet be the biggest threat to the society after the civil war,” the opposition Unity Party Political Leader assures Liberians if elected president.
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