June 26th every year is observed as International Drug abuse day, which is when the World tries to find ways of tackling the high rate of drug abuse, among young people in the Country. For over three decades the Pharmacy Board and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, has not been able to combat the rampant flow of illegal drugs among young people, which is on the increase as a result of joblessness or peer pressure. Consultant psychiatrist Dr. Nahim has over the years pointed out that majority of the patients at the National Psychiatric Teaching Hospital are young people, mostly dependent on drugs of various kinds. He added that much has been done by both public and private sector to reduce the access and intake, of harmful drugs.
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The Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone is the regulator who is supposed to ensure that all pharmaceuticals entering into the country meet their standards, and that pharmacies comply to make sure that drugs which are to be sold over the counter and those to be sold on Doctors prescription are strictly followed through. “I don’t take drugs that are illegal, but I have been smoking marijuana moderately for a longtime, and it gives me ideas and makes me focus more on my trade, because I’m a crafts man, and I work at night” said John Ansumana. He is totally against the use of more harmful drugs and notes that children as young as ten years are actively involved in drug abuse, something which he thinks Government must try to stop. “The Ministry of Education should also be actively involved in public education, in schools and communities on the harmful effects of illegal drugs”, he stated. Abdul Jalloh of the National Psychiatric Teaching Hospital, at Kissy and says the laws governing psychiatric patients are obsolete and “much more needs to be done to save our youthful population.” Jalloh noted that INGO’s and NGO’s have been doing several programs to address the situation, but “If the law enforcement agencies cannot mann our porous borders, illegal and harmful drugs will continue to find their way to innocent and unsuspecting youths, who think some of these drugs, (Tramadol, Diazepam, Valium, blue boat, ecstasy and others) are leisure drugs, for recreation. Brian Luseni a local business man says until Government takes stern measures and provides more logistics and equipment to the drug law enforcement agency and the police, teenagers and young people will continue to have access to cheap alcohol and drugs.
By Ade Campbell
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