Odimmegwa Johnpeter/Abuja
A powerful testimony moved the entire audience as a young man, who had escaped the vicious cycle of drug addiction and recounted the harrowing consequences of substance abuse. He urged Liberian youth to never succumb to this poison, particularly addressing the three hundred young people gathered in the hall to declare their rejection of drugs.
Hailing from various parts of Monrovia, the participants engaged in an interactive session with a parliamentary delegation visiting the Liberian capital as part of an anti-drug awareness campaign on Wednesday 06 August 2025.
The youth condemned drug cartels and detailed the devastating effects of narcotics on their generation. These repercussions include: A public health crisis (severe psychiatric disorders); A breeding ground for gangs and traffickers (recruitment of vulnerable youth by criminal networks in disadvantaged areas); A surge in delinquency (theft and violent crimes to fund addiction, exacerbating urban insecurity); School dropouts (particularly prevalent in underprivileged communities).
Consequently, they appealed to the Liberian government to intensify poverty alleviation efforts, increase investment in educational infrastructure, create youth employment opportunities, and strengthen prevention and rehabilitation programs for social and professional reintegration.
The Liberian Minister of Youth and Sports, who attended the event, acknowledged that the proliferation of drugs and addiction constitutes a national health emergency. He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to addressing the root causes of the issue.
This commitment has been demonstrated through: expanded public awareness campaigns; large-scale rehabilitation of social and vocational reintegration centers, and the construction of a neuropsychiatric hospital.
Additionally, an interministerial task force has been established to combat drug abuse, comprising representatives from the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection, the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, and the Liberian Drug Enforcement Agency.
The event was preceded by a two-kilometer march, symbolizing the youth’s collective stance: “No to drugs, yes to life.”
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