Act on illicit drugs before they crack apart youths
HARARE lawyer, Mr Admire Rubaya, brewed a shocker recently when he opined that it was not an offence to deal and possess crystal methamphetamine, commonly referred to as “mutoriro” in street lingo, since it was not listed as a dangerous drug in Zimbabwe.
Outlining his defence for his client who had been brought to court after being found in possession of 98g of crystal meth, Mr Rubaya said crystal methamphetamine cannot be classifi ed as a dangerous drug because it was not listed in the Schedule of Dangerous Drugs Act Chapter ( 15: 02) and it was not an offence to deal in it or possess it.
Rather than ride on the wishes and aspirations of “politicians and general members of the public who wanted to refer to it as a dangerous drug”, Mr Rubaya urged the relevant ministry to first specify crystal meth as a dangerous drug in terms of Section 14 of Dangerous Drug Act to criminalise its possession and or dealing in it.
His argument sent shockwaves among Zimbabweans and beyond our borders in other countries that are struggling with the problem of illegal substance abuse.
The abuse of drugs not only in Zimbabwe, but across Africa and beyond, has become a major problem in recent years, where a reported number of kids and adults are now addicted.
From the mere abuse of cannabis, which traditionally was the most abused substance, communities are now grappling with various dangerous drugs fi nding their way into the country through different ways, amid a surge in drug mules who are pushing the dangerous drugs and a litany of other illicit substances.
Although cannabis remains the most commonly abused, the traffi cking in and abuse of cocaine and heroin have become a cause for concern for most countries, particularly those that had no previous experiences and legislation with these drugs.
Add on to these are “new generational drugs”, such as fantasy, unconventional concoctions, glue and the local crystal methamphetamine, “mutoriro”, which is already wreaking havoc among the youths, particularly in the high density areas.
What is equally disturbing is the fact that some of the illicit drugs being sold in Zimbabwe are fi nding their way into the country from neighbouring states, where the drugs are freely sold on the streets due to laxity and variations in laws on drug distributions.
With no proper enforcement, some of these illicit substances find their way into schools, communities and homes, where they are being abused by the youth.
Zimbabwe’s demographic of a 67 percent youth population has been described as a strength on which the economy can build a formidable foundation.
Africa at large is billed as the next centre of development because of its young population.
However, the increasingly abuse of drugs and other illicit substances presents a major headache, particularly for Zimbabwe, where a study carried out in 2019 actually revealed a 57 percent prevalence of drug abuse among the youth.
It is not only tragic, but very unfortunate that the country and the region at large is faced with such a huge percentage of the youth on drugs who should be pushing the development agenda ahead.
One of the major reasons highlighted in the study a major reason for drug and substance abuse was breakdown of the family support system.
The advent of the Covid- 19 pandemic in the last two years has heightened the problem of illicit substance abuse, not only among the youth, but also adults, the majority who are now idle owing to lockdowns since early last year.
While the drug mules are singing their way to the bank, society is now confronted with broken homes and individuals who are always intoxicated, fuelling a litany of social vices in communities where they live.
Be it as it may, the nation should witness an end to these heinous acts after President Mnangagwa sounded the death knell to drug kingpins, drug peddlers and gun- toting robbers aft er he instructed the law enforcement agents to crack down on the vices and bring such characters to book.
Speaking at the burial of Roman Catholic priest Father Emmanuel Ribeiro at the National Heroes Acre last month, the President called on the nation to redouble its collective fi ght against this new phenomenon of drugs and harmful substance abuse
Th e statement from President Mnangagwa is very clear and should not be lost in translation.
It is a clear enunciation of policy, very instructive and needs to be urgently actioned on to ensure that perpetrators of these heinous acts should be brought to book.
Already, positive results have been attained on violent crimes, where several gun- toting robbers who were on the police wanted list have since been arrested while others were shot dead while resisting arrest.
Th e stage where Zimbabwe is at warrants fervent action from both community leaders and the police to fl ash out the peddling of illicit substances and drugs from the country, before the nation falls into drug abyss, particularly among the youth.
Of immediate concern would be the listing of all substances deemed to be dangerous such as “mutoriro” in the Schedule of Dangerous Drugs Act Chapter ( 15: 02), so that it become a criminal offence if one is found in its possession.
Without any doubt, mutoriro has become a menace among the youth in the country, therefore, its listing under the schedule of dangerous drugs should be expedited and done as a matter of emergency and of national concern.
Once listed, individuals and communities should take it on themselves to expose drug barons, users and those found peddling mutoriro and other dangerous drugs to rid our society of the practice.
Enforcement agents should also come hard on those who are bent on obstructing the course of justice by harbouring and protecting drug peddlers and users, while taking advantage of loopholes within the legal system and the Constitution.
Th e price of handling a broken society and a high intoxicated one is too high to contemplate for a progressive country like Zimbabwe, which is pushing for the attainment of a middle income economy status by 2030.
It is the same demographic population being inebriated by mutoriro and other illegal substances that the nation also needs to further the economic development agenda, hence the need to act on dangerous drugs before it is too late.
Illegal drugs are a pernicious injection into the society, and as such, they have no place in a progressive society like ours.