In his 44 minutes Annual Message before the 55th Legislature sitting in Joint Chambers at the Capitol, President Joseph Nyumah Boakai elevates Liberia’s fight against narcotics, announcing here that he and his Vice President, Jeremiah Kpan Koung, will lead test against use of dangerous substances, urging all of officials to similarly go for test as part of his government’s commitment to raiding the country of drugs that is consuming the youth.
Presenting his first legislative agenda before the 55th Legislature on Monday, 29 January President Boakai described Liberia’s drug epidemic as an existential threat that is eating away the future of Liberian youth and the entire country.
“We must stand up and face this national security risk together. Given the need for immediate action to make good my pledge to the thousands of families burdened by this crisis, I am hereby declaring Drugs and Substance abuse as a Public Health Emergency”, the President says.
Immediately, President Boakai establishes a multisectoral steering committee comprising the Ministries of Health, Justice, Youth and Sports, Gender, Children and Social Protection, Finance and Development Planning, and the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency to coordinate the drug fight.
Liberia is inundated with dangerous drugs, including marijuana, cocaine, and kush that are being publicly sold at street corners and in communities across the country.
The country had an unprecedented influx of drugs under the previous administration with cocaine valued at about US$140 million brought at the Freeport of Monrovia. Culprits arrested and put on trial, all foreign nationals, were subsequently released because of lack of evidence.
Former President George Manneh Weah signed an amended drug act into law on July 12, 2023, after its enactment by the 54th Legislature.
The amended law is titled the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act of 2023. It seeks to regulate, restrict, control, limit, or eradicate illegal export and importation of drugs and their flagrant use, abuse, and proliferation in the country.
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Violators risk felony of the first and second degrees respectively with 10 years imprisonment and not exceeding 20 years consistent with provisions of the Penal Code 1, section 50.5 and 50.6, while traffickers risk second-degree felony punishable by not less than five years and not exceeding 10 years pursuant to the provisions mentioned above. Editing by Jonathan Browne
