Majaliwa’s advice on drugs fight
Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa shake hands to United Nations Office on Drugs a Crime (UNODC) Secretary of the Commission, Jo Dedeyne-Amann after the minister launched a five day- 28th Heads of National Drug Law Enforcement Agencies Africa in Dar es Salaam yesterday. Right UNODC Regional Representative for Eastern Africa Representative, Dr Amado Philip de Andres PHOTO | PMO
What you need to know:
- The call was made yesterday by Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa as he was launching a five-day 28th Heads of National Drug Law Enforcement Agencies-Africa (HONLEA) meeting here.
Dar es Salaam. Tanzania has asked all African countries to come up with one legal framework that would be used in fighting drug abuse and trafficking.
The call was made yesterday by Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa as he was launching a five-day 28th Heads of National Drug Law Enforcement Agencies-Africa (HONLEA) meeting here.
He said with the law, the anti-drug war in Africa could provide positive results provided that all countries implement it.
“We have different laws on drug abuse and trafficking, but my challenge to all participants is to consider the possibility of formulating a uniform law, which will be used across the continent,” he said.
He was of a view that the laws will make Africa a safer place and free of drug trafficking besides curbing organised crimes and spread of diseases, which hurt our economies.
Other issues, according to Mr Majaliwa that the member states should work on ways of supplying and fighting drugs abuse, including enhancing the control of their production.
On ways that the drugs are transported, the Premier said it would be better if the authorities will step up efforts to identify all dealers and control them.
“I want to reassure of Tanzania’s commitment to fighting the illicit trade, including drugs abuse,” he said.
Earlier, the Drugs Control and Enforcement Authority (DCEA) commissioner general, Mr Rogers Sianga, said apart from fighting the illicit trade, the commission also works closely with medical experts to help drug addicts recover from addiction.
He explained that in the fight the authority works closely with regional and international organisations to ensure the arrest of the entire chain of the drug dealers.
For his part, the United Nation’s Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) regional representative for Eastern Africa, Dr Amado de Andres, said illicit production and trafficking of cannabis have remained major challenges throughout many parts of Africa.
According to him, while Africa is still a major transit region for drugs trafficking, it is also increasingly becoming a consumer and market for all types of drugs.
“The global seizure of pharmaceutical opioids in 2016 was 87 tonnes, roughly the same amount as the quantities of heroin seized,” he said.
