The Liberia Youth Task Team of the Africa Youth Partnership for an Equitable Recovery from the Global COVID-19 Pandemic hereby petitions the 54th National Legislature of the Republic of Liberia to pass the amended Law of the Liberian Controlled Drug and Substances Act of 2014.

Studies show that drug use has traditionally been viewed as an urban and inner city problem. However, with the past decade’s increase in the prevalence of substance use disorders and substance-related mortality in urban areas, there is growing international recognition that the problem of drug and other substance use has spread to rural settings across the globe.

According to the Liberian Drugs Enforcement Agency (LDEA), there are approximately 355 ghettos in Montserrado County alone. Of the 355, 88 new ghettos were added in 2022. It is recorded that 60% of the ghettos are permanent and 40% are make-shifts. With reference to WHO, people who inject drugs may be particularly vulnerable to the COVID-19, due to underlying health problems, stigma, social marginalization, and higher economic and social vulnerabilities, including lack of access to stable housing and health care.

Due to the pandemic in Liberia, a lot of young people got exposed to drug and substance abuse; this was enhanced by lockdowns and closure of activities. Most young people were at their respective homes and had ample time to stay in various ghettos to abuse drugs and other harmful substances.  According to the International Society of Substance use professionals , in Liberia, a review of the health system estimates that as many as 11 % of adults have experienced substance use disorders, while 40 % of adults experience clinical depression, and 45 % experience Post-traumatic stress disorder in the distress of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

This could be attributed to failure to access mental services or use of contemporary services. Before the pandemic, in Liberia, there was already limited access to quality, affordable drug treatment services. This limited access has now been further diminished due to COVID-19 as the pandemic has disrupted services in Liberia and around the world. Liberia has only one psychiatric hospital, in Monrovia, the capital, and no rehabilitation center for drug users. It is called Esther Grant Hospital. The 80-bed hospital is the only government health facility providing treatment services for substance abusers in Liberia. Patients admitted to the hospital must show obvious signs of psychosis, and must be accompanied by their relatives. People with drug use disorders are not admitted, except if they are already psychotic and violent. When taken there, they are counseled and dismissed. Because of COVID-19, the facility was unable to take in new patients and lacked support from the government. 

The lack of a sustainable drug prevention program in Liberia has contributed immensely to the high rate of drug abuse over the years. Local and international organizations have tried in the past to carry out awareness and sensitization but these programs were short-term and inadequate, especially for a country like Liberia that 70% of the combatants that fought during the civil war were youth and 15% were child soldiers below the age of 18.

Youth involvement in the use and trafficking of drugs in Liberia tends to have more underlying causes and consequences on the entire country. With generational and future ramifications, drugs and crime tend to put Liberia in an irreversible economic and political downward trend. Against this backdrop, WE, the Liberian Youth Task Team adhere to the below:

AMENDMENT TO CONSIDER:

1.       Declare drug abuse as a non-bailable offense.

2.      Confiscation of properties of illicit drug importers/sellers

Below are reasons to consider in the passage of this amended drug law:

1.      Promoting the protection of children and young people, with particular reference to the illicit sale and purchase of internationally or nationally controlled substances and of new psychoactive substances.

2.      Promoting prevention of drug abuse based on scientific evidence as an investment in the well-being of children, adolescents, youth, families and communities.

3.      Strengthening efforts to prevent drug abuse in educational settings. Create a friendly and safe environment for Liberians to have access to quality education.

4.      Protecting children from the illicit drug challenge through a strong policy/law. 

5.      Promoting the involvement of youth in drug prevention efforts; raising awareness across the nation.

6.      Building more rehabilitation centers across the nation for affected youths.

7.      Deterrence of drugs and substance importers.

8.      Building a society free of drugs and substance abuse.

At this critical juncture, watching young Liberians’ future being destroyed, we call on the 54th National Legislature of Liberia to immediately pass the amended Law of the Liberian Controlled Drug and Substances Act of 2014 effective immediately.

Kindly join our campaign by signing this petition titled:  Pass the Amended Law of the Liberian Controlled Drug and Substances Act of 2014 Now!

#PassTheAmendedDrugLaw