The Requisite Solution to Our Drug Problem: A View from a Practitioner

By Abraham S. Kromah, MA

Abstract

The drug crisis in Liberia has reached epidemic proportions, threatening national security, public health, and social cohesion. Addressing this complex challenge requires a paradigm shift from punitive law enforcement toward a multi-sectoral, rights-based, and rehabilitative framework. Drawing on empirical observation and legal analysis, this article proposes a comprehensive solution involving justice reform, prevention, community resilience, and reintegration, with specific policy recommendations anchored in Liberia’s constitutional framework and international legal obligations.

1. Introduction:

The National Drug Crisis

Drug abuse in Liberia has evolved from isolated consumption to a national emergency. Urban slums, youth ghettos, and even rural towns now serve as hubs for the sale and use of narcotic drugs. Public officials have acknowledged the gravity of the situation, with President Joseph Boakai Sr.  describing it as a “public health emergency” during his first State of the Nation Address in January, 2024.[1] This is becoming a National Security Threat!!!

This crisis transcends criminality; it is a public health and human rights issue that demands a balanced, pragmatic response grounded in law, social science, and compassion.

2. Root Causes: Structural Deficits and Social Breakdown

The foundation of the drug epidemic lies in Liberia’s systemic vulnerabilities: poverty, unemployment, weak family structure, trauma from the civil conflict, and lack of mental health services.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has consistently emphasized that drug dependency is a medical condition, not a moral failing [2]. As such, the criminalization of addiction, without addressing its psychosocial and economic roots, leads to high recidivism and deepens marginalization.

Liberia’s Mental Health Act of 2017 recognizes substance abuse as a mental disorder, warranting treatment rather than punishment [3]. However, the law remains largely unimplemented due to resource constraints.

3. Law Enforcement Reform: Intelligence Over Intimidation

The Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA), created under the Drugs and Related Act of 2023, has been mandated to curb the importation and distribution of illicit drugs [4]. While commendable seizures have occurred, enforcement remains uneven and often marred by brutality and bribery.

Intelligence-led policing, as recommended by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), focuses on targeting high-level suppliers, intercepting transnational networks, and using data to disrupt supply chains [5].

Liberian law must be amended to strengthen the chain of evidence system and require judicial oversight of undercover operations, to avoid abuse of power and wrongful convictions.

4. Rehabilitation and Reintegration: From Users to Reformers

As of 2025, Liberia has fewer than five functioning rehabilitation centers, most of which are privately operated and inaccessible to the poor [6]. The absence of public rehabilitation facilities violates Article 7 of the Liberian Constitution, which mandates the State to ensure the health and welfare of its citizens [7].

Moreover, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), ratified by Liberia, obliges member states to ensure “the right to health” and dignity [8]. Accordingly, the government is under a positive obligation to provide treatment options for addicts.

Reintegration programs must also be developed in partnership with the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Ministry of Labor, focusing on vocational training, job placement, and psychological support.

5. Community Empowerment: Prevention is the First Line of Defense

The fight against drugs cannot be won without community involvement. Civil society, religious institutions, traditional leaders, and families must play central roles in early intervention and social support.

Article 6 of the Constitution emphasizes equal access to educational opportunities [9]. Drug awareness should be embedded in the national curriculum from the primary level, and community-based rehabilitation models, such as Kenya’s “Nyumba Kumi” initiative, should be explored.

6. Economic Solutions: Reducing the Demand Side

Liberia’s youth unemployment rate remains among the highest in West Africa. Without economic opportunities, drugs become both a livelihood and a coping mechanism.

The government must develop youth-targeted economic empowerment schemes, as envisaged in most of the policies targeting societal problem of late, including the ARREST agenda.  Micro-finance, agriculture cooperatives, and urban public works projects can also serve as alternatives to drug economies.

7. Legal Reforms: A Therapeutic Model of Justice

The new Drugs and Related Act (2023) criminalizes trafficking and possession but does not provide a clear diversion system for minor offenders. Liberia must adopt alternative sentencing models, including:

• Drug courts with judicial discretion to refer addicts for treatment;

• Probation with mandatory counseling;

• Conditional release upon completion of rehabilitation.

This aligns with international best practices and Liberia’s obligation under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) to ensure proportionate sentencing [10].

8. Regional and International Collaboration

Liberia must strengthen border surveillance in partnership with the Mano River Union (MRU) and ECOWAS. Cross-border intelligence sharing, joint operations, and harmonized legal frameworks are essential to tackling West Africa’s status as a drug transit hub [11].

Capacity building through international cooperation—particularly with the UNODC, Interpol, and regional anti-narcotics bodies—must be pursued aggressively.

Conclusion

The drug problem in Liberia is not merely a legal or moral issue—it is a developmental and existential crisis. It cannot be defeated by force alone. A strategic, rights-based, and compassionate approach—combining law enforcement with prevention, treatment, economic inclusion, and legal reform—is required.

This is a call to act—not later, but now. We must choose to rehabilitate, reintegrate, and restore. THE NATION’S FUTIRE DEPENDS ON IT.

Footnotes

[1]: President Joseph N. Boakai, State of the Nation Address, January 29, 2024.

[2]: World Health Organization, Lexicon of Alcohol and Drug Terms, WHO Press, 2019.

[3]: Republic of Liberia, Mental Health Act, Approved August 2017, Sections 3.1 and 4.1.

[4]: Republic of Liberia, Drugs and Related Act, Approved July 2023.

[5]: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Handbook on Strategic Intelligence-Led Policing, 2022.

[6]: UNDP Liberia, Assessment of Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation in Liberia, 2022 Report.

[7]: Constitution of the Republic of Liberia (1986), Article 7.

[8]: African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), Article 16.

[9]: Liberian Constitution, Article 6.

[10]: International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), Article 9 and General Comment No. 32.

[11]: West Africa Commission on Drugs (WACD), Not Just in Transit: Drugs, the State and Society in West Africa, Kofi Annan Foundation, 2014.