Drug takers, eat, drink, inject, smoke and or inhale more drugs during electioneering period in Sierra Leone, as rogue politicians spend money on drugs that affect the minds/ mental state of young people/youths. That is why for the past five decades, electioneering processes have been marred by violence by youth/young people, as these rogue politicians have made it a habit of giving out large quantity of illegal substance to youth/young people. Having abuse these illegal drugs and now under its full control, these young people are then unleashed on peaceful citizens to perpetrate all forms of mayhem. Currently, our nation is bedeviled with factories that are producing cheap alcohol in sachet with high alcoholic content- leading to the purification of alcohol across Sierra Leone, thus the increase in alcohol consumption, sadly most people are not even aware that alcohol is among the 10 most dangerous drugs in the world, our situation is compounded the mixture of those cheap alcohol with tramadol by our young people. We have seen it in almost all political rallies as was approach the 2018, general elections.
Drugs prescribed by Doctors have saved or lengthen the lives of people with many serious ailments, including cancer, heart related diseases, polio, yellow fever etc were it not for drugs, millions of people throughout the world would have suffered and died from those diseases. Just because a drug is legal, however, does not mean that it should be used in any manner, as some drugs are psychoactive (affect the mind and mental processes) and overuse of these drugs in a way damages the health. Nonprescription items, such as, tramadol, tobacco and cheap alcohol that can be purchased on every street corner in Sierra Leone contain substances that can cause liver damage, cancer, heart disease and early death.
Authoritative sources have reveal that there is an increase of drug abuse among young people in Sierra Leone, the new trend of mixture of alcohol with the illegal tramadol is having a far reaching effect on it per takers. The most common alcohol that are abused are “kiss me ar kiss you”, “tuff off “, “man pinkin” “total park” “Officer” “Double Punch” “Two kiss” “Tyson”, “commando”, “Fruit wine,” and other substances abused are sleeping pills/ tranquilizers (drugs that have a calming effect mostly use in mental homes) known among its users as “take-over me” the abused of all these drugs, are a direct threat to the good health and well being of the people who take them as well as an indirect threat to the safety of innocent people who do not. The illegal drugs may not only shorten the lives of those who use them but may also destroy minds, make people suffer, prevent them from working, wreck families and turn innocent people into criminals, who steal property, rape, assault, which land them at Pademba Road maximum prison, where currently many are languishing, those whose minds are destroy end up at rehabilitation centers like the City of Rest and at the mental home in Kissy.
The Sierra Leone Chapter West Africa Drug Policy Network, championing the campaign against drug abuse is conducting several workshops, radio/TV Programme across the country on drug with experts addressing young people on the dangers of drug abused. As we approach the 2018 general election, what has become a concerned among stakeholders, is the negative plans of wicked people to provide large quantity of illegal substances to these massively unemployed young people, thus under the influence of illegal substances they can unleash them on peaceful citizens during electioneering process, to intimidate, and assault their political opponent.
Not only do drugs damage physical and psychological health, but drug abusers may be harm by the method of taking those drugs, as well. For example, drug addicts who inject heroin or cocaine into their blood most time share the needle with other addicts. If an addict has AIDS, and share the needle with others who do not have AIDS, then the other will probably develop AIDS. It is also factual that must young people who start abusing illegal substances during electioneering period become hooked up/addicted, which is sad for our nation, if many of our young people are becoming drug addict, then our nations’ future is bleak . We strongly believes that politicians who provide illegal substances to youths during electioneering process in Sierra Leone are villains not Leaders, such wicked politicians should be named and banned from holding any public office.
Youths be vigilant and say “NO DRUGS FOR VOTE DURING 2018 GENERAL ELECTIONS”
Saa Matthias D BENDU: WADPN- and Phebean Swill Sierra Leone Broadcasting Cooperation