Africa 24 newsman
The Opposition Chief Whip in Parliament, Hon. Abdul Karim Kamara (AKK)’s words are, “we have young people dying in prison in silence.”
Hon AKK said since Parliament approved the state of emergency on Kush fight off there has been no authoritative voice updating Parliament on the latest development on the issue.
Instead, he went on, what has been the current situation is that young people, who are kush in-takers, have been arrested and locked up in cells.
The MP made the submissions on Thursday 6th June 2024 on Standing Order 23 in the Chambers of Parliament.
The Chief Whip pointed out that the government had promised to provide rehabilitation centers for the victims, stating that to-date no government officials had given explanation on the on the status on the kush fight.
“We should not treat kush smokers as criminals. We should be seeing them as victims and above all we should treat them with the respect they deserve,” Hon AKK said.
He maintained that most of the MPs and government officials could be victims of tomorrow because all of them have children who are prone to such predicaments.
The MP underscored the fact that government should endeavour to fast-track the rehabilitation centers and give the victims of kush what they deserve, stating that most of them were being locked up in prisons dying with them having “deep sores.”
It could be recalled that the President Bio proclaimed a state of emergency recently on fighting the drug-abuse due to its horrors it was inflicting on young citizens as they consume the kush, a more harmful narcotic drug.
In recent times, about a month ago, 32 kush victims were reportedly buried in mass graves in Freetown and currently others are dying on the streets of the cities across the country, a situation that had prompted the government to institute a state of emergency on the substance abuse drugs.
On several times the police have reported arrest of “drugs barons” who are secretly selling Kush thereby causing severe danger on the young people across the country.
The Sierra Leone police have maintained that they are still vigilant in their patrol teams in a bid to get rid of such drug barons in the country.