-To constitute specialized committee on drug, rehabilitation, reintegration

Plenary has voted to set up a specialized committee to probe Drug, Rehabilitation, and Reintegration in Liberia.

The decision followed 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 Multisectorial 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 this 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 Multisectorial 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 H.E. Joseph Nyumah Boakai has premised his fight”. Her communication stated.

“I hereby propose- should this meet your consent as well as Planery’s- the establishment of a Leadership Committee on Drug, Rehabilitation, and Reintegration”. Hon. 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 begin strategizing means to curb the national crisis.

Mr. 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.

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