By Henry Kargbo
Over the rampant deaths and swelling of foot by Kush addicts, hundreds of youths in drugs at Mo Wharf and Seaside communities have surrender saying ‘’Kush drugs is harmful’’.
This promising youth made this call on Saturday 3rd February 2024, intervention made by the Freetown Terminal Sierra Leone on their annual Communities drugs sensitization campaign in the eastern part of Freetown.
Speaking on the purpose of the sensitization, Head of Media and Communication at Freetown Terminal, Gassim Fofana says they decided to embark on this venture because they knew that drugs abuse is a very big problem in the country.
He added that those communities targeted were communities dominated by youth that in the habit of drugs abuse.
Gassim Fofana went on to say that sensitization aimed at educating the youths on the dangers of drug abuse which posed serious threat to their future.
‘’I believe we are on track because people in our midst to facilitate the campaign are expects and professionals including therapists, as the process is youth who decide to change in drugs give out there names for change , he said’’.
He reveled that the plan is to have a sustainable sensitization campaign which according to him, that is why they decided to do it every year.
He said the company is very closer to its people, under their Corporate Social Responsibility agenda, adding that there are other goodies which they normally gives to the people in that communities, including scholarships to tertiary students distribute learning material to school going pupils.
Executive Director at Institute of Drugs Center and Human Security, Aiah Nabiu Mokuwah started by giving the health effect and impacts in terms of human system when one started to take narcotic drugs, adding that the punishment is not the answer to drugs addict but cancelling and rehabilitations should be a priority.
He informed that the country can now boosted of having twenty seven (27) drugs experts, citing that his role in the campaign is to educate the effect of drugs abuse.
‘’When you use drug for wrong purpose, then you have abuse it, we are also advocating as part of this campaign in calling on law enforcer to first apply the law to those that imported it and later target the end users’’.
Acting Director of Blood Prevention and Education, Training at the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Ibrahim Samura, says his agency is charged with the responsibility to control drugs in the country.
He continued that sensitizing people in relation to drug substance is very much important, adding that a lot of people involved in drugs taking is as a result of ignorance and stress, which he further applauded Freetown Terminal for undertaking such sensitization campaign in what he described as ‘’the first step in saving the youths from oblivion’’.
Testimonies of those once were drugs addicts were made and those currently in to drugs like tramadol and Kush promised to abstain from it.
