By Landing Colley
Lawmakers last Thursday raised concern over drug trafficking and they demanded for action to address the upsurge in the country.
Honorable Sulaiman Saho, National Assembly member for Central Baddibu raised this concern on drugs trafficking, emphasizing that this has led to mass abuse of drugs among youth in the country.
He said: “drug abuse has become a social source in our country and the laws of the country banned the use of drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and cannabis and so on.”
He noted that the psychiatric hospital is dominated by the youths who have drug issue because drug is any substance when taken automatically it changes the normal functioning of the center nervous system of the user.
According to him, the entire country is concern about increasing use of drug among the youth which is leading to high rate of violence and disturbance in the neighborhood, which among is breaking into people’s house while killing, too, is becoming more rampant.
“The drug enforcement agency focuses more on cannabis, although it is the most commonly used substance but they must not lose sight on other harmful drugs as well. We are aware of the drug control act yet the abuse of drugs use is in high gear in the country. Drug abuse is seriously threatening the feature of youth”, he said.
He also urged the government to be serious in fighting against trafficking of hard drugs in the country, noting if action is not taking the feature of youth will not be promising.
“We must collectively put our hands together in the fight against drug trafficking and ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice,” Honorable Saho urged.
Honorable Bakary Camara, House Member for Kiang Central stated that fight against drugs requires a robust effort to safeguard the use and trafficking of drugs in the country.
“The Gambia is blessed with a young population and it is important that we all work hard to assured that such population is protected against anything that is going to obstruct their future especially drugs,” he said.
Meanwhile, National Assembly members for Brikama North, Honorable Jarra and Banjul Central all expressed similar views on the trafficking of drugs in the country and called on government to enforce fight against drug trafficking.