by Eze Eluchie
Will the
West African sub-region survive the push towards legalization of illicit drugs
being championed by a group known as the West African Commission on Drugs?
The
sub-region is already burdened by the yoke of such societal scourges as Large-scale
corruption in the public sector, terrorism, weak/non-existent public health and
social infrastructure, high unemployment rates amongst others – to compound the
situation with easy availability of illicit narcotic, psychotic and other
substances of abuse portends a hell quite easy to imagine.
As the flamboyantly named 'West
African Commission on Drugs', rolls
out its Report advocating for legalization of illicit substances in Dakar,
Senegal, on June 12 2014, and considering the enormous resources behind the push
for legalization of these illicit substances, our society is in for a rough
ride in the coming months.
With our public health system presently overwhelmed by infectious diseases, HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and our present efforts at tackling the scourge of substance abuse characterized by weak preventive education and public enlightenment foundations, a near total absence of substance abuse treatment and rehabilitation facilities, lax drug law enforcement regimes, the prospect of illicit substances becoming commercial merchandise, easily and legally available on our streets is quite worrisome.
By the end
of the day, would the millions of dollars in profit some would have amassed
from legalization of illicit drugs be sufficient to counter the negative and dire impact of
legalization on our society? Methinks not!
West Africa needs Education, Investments, Employment Opportunities, Health Care Facilities and Good Governance. Not legalization of illicit drugs!!
Picture:Youths wasting away on illicit drugs
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