Running Away from Bad Laws and Policies and Promoting the WAPDN Reviewed Drug Act

Leading organisations: Institute for Drug Control and Human Security

Supporting organisations: Members of the West Africa Drug Policy Network (WADPN), Network of Women Affected by Substance Abuse (NWASA)  and Network of People who Use Drug (NPWUD)

Sierra Leone has a huge drug problem that needs to be addressed. The five main types of drugs that are widely consumed in Sierra Leone are Marijuana,  Cocaine, Heroin (Brown-Brown), Tramadol, Kush etc. Our youths happen to be the most involved and affected group of persons who use drugs. The fight against drugs in Sierra Leone has relied on two main legal instruments: the 2001 Pharmacy Act and the 2008 Drug Control Act. The recommendations in these laws have criminalized drug possession even for small quantities and also for consumption. Efforts at drug control have been punitive and relied heavily on incarceration.

Since 2013, IDCHS and other organisations have been advocating for a repeal or an amendment of these laws, particularly the Drug Control Act. There is need to look for alternatives to incarceration which has left a lot of youth behind bars and continue to congest prisons and worsen the conditions of detentions within the Sierra Leone Correctional Service.

In the State Opening of Parliament in 2018, the President of Sierra Leone informed the State that the Government will review the drug laws to meet international obligation and in October last year, the West Africa Drug Policy Network (WADPN) partnered with the Government of Sierra Leone through the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to review the National Drug Control Act of 2008.

The WADPN reviewed act looked at access to harm reduction interventions, promotion of public health, and respect for the human rights of people who use drugs. It is this reviewed act that IDCHS intends to promote to the Government and people of Sierra Leone.

During this years Global Day of Action, we will be organizing a jogging exercise of 40 participant’s on the streets of Freetown. Participants will be provided Support Don’t Punish T-shirts and will carry posters and stickers to distribute to communities raise awareness of recently reviewed drug laws. Additionally, jingles will be produced and aired on streets, radios and televisions.

Contact: [email protected]