Senate initiate bills to tackle drug abuse

The senate has developed two draft bills to tackle the increasing drug abuse menace among youths in the country.

The bills are National Drug Control Bill and National Mental Health Bill.

According to a statement released by the senate,the bills seek to clarify the mandate and strengthen the capacity of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to eradicate the illicit production, and trafficking of controlled substances.

The statement added the bills seek to criminalise the diversion, distribution or otherwise dispensing of controlled substances without a prescription or license.

At a round table discussion in Kano, Senate President Bukola Saraki promised that the national assembly would take decisive action against drug abuse in Nigeria as part of moves to finally tackle the menace.

“If we continue to be a society that ignores laws and do as we wish, we are not far from being a failed state,” he said.

“But in the Senate, we are firm in ensuring that what is right is done to protect the nation. We want to see here before we finish the two-day roundtable in Kano that some pharmacies are closed down for violating the rules. Then we will know we are serious about it.

“There is no sense in calling agencies to fight drugs when we are not funding them. It doesn’t make sense.

“We must make a commitment that we are ready to do away with these problems. We should not be discouraged in the fight, as political leaders, we must have political will in the fight.”

The abuse of drugs has been a major challenge for the government. Last year, the senate said three million bottles of codeine were consumed in Jigawa and Kano states on a daily basis.

Two months ago, the BBC released a documentary on how some corrupt officials of pharmaceutical companies were fuelling drug abuse.