WEST POINT, Monrovia – As many Liberians fall prey to the deadly consequences of illicit drugs by the day, the Association of Female Lawyers of Liberia (AFELL), in partnership with the Clooney Foundation for Justice, launched an anti-drug community awareness outreach on Tuesday, August 5, 2025. Under the theme “Breaking the Chain,” the initiative tackles Liberia’s twin crises: rampant drug abuse and gender-based violence.
2 in 10 youth in Liberia are users of narcotic substances. The prevalence of drug use among youth remains alarming, with recent studies suggesting that approximately 20% of young people in Liberia are using substances. Synthetic drugs like Kush flood streets, while domestic violence cases surge. AFELL’s campaign responds to this emergency, starting in West Point, a township of over 75,000 residents where substance abuse is also common.
At the opening ceremony, Cllr. Bowoulo Taylor Kelley, First Vice President of AFELL, informed attendees that the campaign specifically targets women, children, youth, and other vulnerable groups to educate them about the devastating effects of drug and substance abuse currently plaguing Liberia’s future generations.
Cllr. Kelley emphasized that the program will expand to additional communities, noting its particular importance for women who bear the heaviest burden when their children fall victim to addiction. “We are conducting these outreach activities because drug abuse also has a connection to gender based violence which is concerning,” she told participants.
She described how drugs have deeply penetrated Liberian society at alarming levels, stressing the urgent need for collective action from all stakeholders to comprehensively address the crisis. “We need to act now and this is everybody’s business,” she reiterated forcefully.
The AFELL Vice President reaffirmed the organization’s dedication to this national campaign, vowing to sustain their efforts for societal improvement. She also announced AFELL’s endorsement of the upcoming August 7 National March Against Drug Abuse, framing it as a concrete step in combating the epidemic.
Cllr. Kelley directly appealed to young people in attendance: she urged them to reject drug use and other dangerous substances that are eroding their potential and jeopardizing their futures.
The initial continued with an interactive session which drew strong community participation, with young people, women, and elders actively engaging facilitators on critical issues. Cllr. Sundaiway Nelson Amegashie, AFELL’s Secretary General, led discussions on gender-based violence and its devastating community impacts. “Resolve conflicts through legal channels, not violence,” she urged participants. “Respect one another and use the justice system to address rape and other abuses in your communities.”
Simultaneously, Rev. Chinnie M. Sieh, nurse and co-founder of Home of Dignity, connected drug abuse to multiple societal crises. She explained how substance abuse fuels gender violence and increases STI transmission risks, warning that drugs are systematically destroying Liberia’s youth. “Neither selling nor using drugs presents a viable future,” she cautioned. “We must pursue preventive solutions to curb this epidemic,” Sieh emphasized the urgent need for strengthened legislation and robust enforcement to combat drug proliferation.
Adding to the legal perspective, Atty. Christina Ploe Doe outlined AFELL’s comprehensive support system for survivors. She detailed the organization’s ongoing legal awareness initiatives and highlighted available services through their legal aid clinic, ensuring victims understand their rights and access pathways to justice.
The session concluded with heartfelt remarks from Nelly Cooper of West Women for Health and Development. Expressing deep appreciation for AFELL’s initiative, Cooper described the program as transformative for West Point residents. She pledged her organization’s commitment to amplifying these critical messages, vowing to serve as community ambassadors against both drug abuse and domestic violence throughout their township.
In June of this year, the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) reported that between 2024 and 2025, it (LDEA) seized nationwide a staggering 9,651.23 kilograms of narcotics with a combined street value exceeding $4.9 million (LRD 949 million). The agency’s nationwide operations targeted a range of illegal substances, with the synthetic drug Kush accounting for the largest haul at 5,494.50 kilograms, valued at $2.3 million (LRD 405.5 million).
Authorities also confiscated 4,040.02 kilograms of marijuana worth $369,098 (LRD 70.1 million), along with smaller but significant quantities of harder drugs. These included 32.69 kilograms of cocaine valued at $1.76 million (LRD 335.4 million), 11.95 kilograms of heroin worth $537,556 (LRD 70.1 million), and 68.73 kilograms of tramadol estimated at $144,413 (LRD 27.4 million). Additionally, the LDEA intercepted 3.4354 kilograms of precursor chemicals used in drug production, with an estimated worth of $8,109 (LRD 1.5 million).
On 30 June 2022, the government of Liberia launched a national fund drive in support of a programme for the rehabilitation and empowerment of At-Risk Youth in Liberia by the Government in collaboration with the United Nations and partners. Unfortunately, this didn’t go as planned. Following his ascendancy to the presidency, President Joseph Nyuma Boakai declared drugs a national health crisis.
