By Grace Q. Bryant
Sinoe County Electoral District 2 Representative, Sampson Q. Wiah, has written the plenary of the House to invite the Minister of Health and the Director of the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency to provide information on the National Response Plan adopted by the Multi-sector Committee in combating drug and substance abuse across the 73 electoral districts of Liberia.
Wiah’s communication was read on the 12th day sitting of the 1st quarter of the 1st session of the House of Representatives.
The Sinoe County lawmaker’s communication read, “It is almost 30 days ago, precisely on January 22, when Joseph Nyuma Boakai declared drug and substance abuse a public health emergency, and subsequently commissioned a multi-sector committee headed by the health minister.”
It can be recalled that President Boakai, in his State of the Nation Address on January 29, declared that the drug epidemic, especially the use of ‘Kush’ in the country, is an existential threat eating away at the future of our children and the country.
He said, “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.”
“In this direction, I am establishing a multisectoral steering committee comprising the following agencies; Ministry of Health – Chair, Ministry of Justice – Co-Chair, Ministry of Youth and Sports- Member, Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection – Member, Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) – Member, and Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) – Member,” President Boakai stressed.
Rep. Wiah stressed that since the pronouncement of the President, drugs and substance abuse are at an alarming increase and the proliferation of drug intoxication-associated deaths are everywhere around the country.
“Mechanism or action taken by the multi-sector committee to address this situation is yet to be made public. Fortunately, we currently have a confirmed Minister of Health and a Director for Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency who are lead respondents of this scourge,” he noted.
He told his colleagues that, considering the exigency of the nature of drugs and substance abuse, “I would like to crave the indulgence of plenary to invite the Minister of Health, Head of the National Public Health Institute of Liberia, and the Director of the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency to come and inform us about the National Response Plan adopted by the Multi-sector committee in combating drug and substance abuse across the 73 electoral districts of the Republic of Liberia,” he stressed.
