By Grace Q. Bryant
The House of Representatives has voted to set up a specialized committee to probe drug rehabilitation and reintegration in Liberia.
The decision was based on a communication from Margibi County Electoral District 3 Representative, Ellen Attoh-Wreh, seeking the indulgence of her colleagues for the establishment of a special committee, which she said will go a long way in providing effective oversight of the Multi-sectorial Steering Committee that has been established by the President, with a direct mandate to fight against drug use and abuse, which could potentially enhance a positive result in the end.
“Interestingly, I would like to specifically emphasize his mention of the drug epidemic, which has emerged as this generation’s greatest menace, affecting potential young men and women who have fallen prey to drug addiction, thus becoming not only a burden but an existential threat to society,” she noted in her communication.
She said President Boakai also made a clarion call to everyone to stand in the fight together, as it poses a national security threat, and took a bold step by establishing a Multi-sectorial Steering Committee comprising Ministries and Agencies of Government.
She wants the Legislature to support the President in every way necessary to ensure that his agenda to fight drug trafficking and abuse is met. “In the 54th Legislature, we became the co-sponsor of a landmark bill that got enacted into law and today known as the Amended Drug Law, upon which Joseph Nyuma Boakai has premised his fight,” her communication stated.
“I hereby propose- should this meet your consent, as well as plenary’s- the establishment of a Leadership Committee on Drug Rehabilitation and Reintegration” Attoh-Wreh stated in her communication.
In a bid to combat the proliferation of drugs in Liberia and its demeaning consequences on the youth, Liberia’s President Joseph Nyuma Boakai recently declared drug (substance abuse) as a national emergency.
The President made the declaration on Monday, January 29, 2024, when he delivered his first State of the Nation Address.
As a testament to his commitment to combat the deadly substance, the President has created a special steering committee, consisting of the Ministries of Health, Justice, Youth and Sports, Gender and Social Protection, Finance, and the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA).
In the coming days, the committee will begin strategizing means to curb the national crisis.
President Boakai has also disclosed that he and Vice president Jeremiah P. Koung will lead the process of drug testing, and he admonished all other officials to do the same.
