By Helro
z Zorleh The Judiciary Committee of the Liberian Senate on Friday ended Hearing into a proposed bill seeking punishment for drug traffickers. Framers of the bill have stipulated that 25 years imprisonment be set for any one found guilty of drug trafficking.
Criminal Lawyer Cllr. Michael Jones told members of the Senate Committee that drugs should be done away with. He said those who traffic and/or use drugs should have an extremely harder punishment. According to Cllr. Jones, the law under review should include at least, 60 years jail sentence for would-be drugs criminal. Jones said such persons should not be shown any sympathy because he or she is capable of tearing down our school system and even the entire state.
But Cllr. Jones’ proposal was reinterpreted by another Lawyer as something against the constitution. Cllr. Frances Johnson Morris, now chairing the Liberia Anti Corruption Commission (LACC) said that Cllr. Jones’ version of the argument was overly stringent and should not be considered. She said convicts of such crime should have a reasonable jail sentence as a means of a possible rehabilitation for the person.
During the debate at the Senate on Friday, the Drugs Enforcement Agency (DEA) was graded by members of the Senate panelist as being excellent in its work to rid the Country of drugs. A member of the panelist, Grand Cape Mount County Senator, Abel Massaley, said he was deeply impressed by the works of the DEA and recommended that the Agency be supported in the fight against drugs in the Country.
Meanwhile, the DEA said the issue of drug is becoming terrible. The Director, James Jaddah, along with the Deputy Director for Administration, Henry Shaw, revealed that the DEA recently arrested a situation that involved a Liberian woman who was selling marijuana mixed with “Kanyan,” a locally processed “Garrie” and grand nut.
It can be recalled that during Liberia’s civil war drugs use was reportedly associated with fighters of all ages and within the various fighting forces. The end of the war, coupled with an already weak laws on drugs amidst report of an alleged availability of cultivations, farms and channels of distribution of the psychotropic substances from within and beyond the borders, observers believe that the reported action and stance of the Senate on drugs must be a welcome development. The social problems associated with drug intake by teenagers or the youth range from violence against innocent people, burglary and mental illness. A prolong detention, they maintained, may be rehabilitative and restorative to the drug users than a short detention, given the fluidity of our porous borders and the inadequate security alert.
