Drug addiction among Zambians worries government
GOVERNMENT says increased cases of people being addicted to drugs is a worrying situation which needs concerted effort to resolve before it spirals out if control.
According to statistics from the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC), the number of persons seeking counselling services due to drug dependency rose from 810 in 2021 to 1, 212 in 2022, with the majority being young people aged between 12 and 35.
Speaking when he officially launched the National Policy on Drug and Substance Control, Jack Mwiimbu, the Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security has noted that most people addicted to drugs start with alcohol and later graduate to hard drugs such as marijuana and cocaine.
Mr Mwiimbu says this poses a great risk to the social stability of the country with the population consisting mostly of young people below the age of 35.
Mr Mwiimbu says the family has dropped its guard and there is need for it to show effort in guiding young people against drug abuse.
And Mr Mwiimbu says the policy launched will provide guidance on how law enforcement agencies and other key stakeholders will coordinate in managing research and data collection capacity for drug use prevention.
Mr Mwiimbu says the policy will also guide procedures for standardised treatment, rehabilitation and social integration of drug abusers in public and private institutions.
He says the policy will also enhance capacity in devising a robust system to monitor the diversion of controlled substances such as precursor chemicals on the illicit market.