THE government is set to establish an executive authority to combat and prevent illicit drugs in the country, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (Policy, Parliamentary Affairs, Labour, Employment, Youth and the Disabled) Ms Jenista Mhagama has said.
She told a news conference here
yesterday that the government has completed the process of enacting a
new Prevention and Combating of Illicit Drugs Act, 2015, which would
establish the authority that would operate independently but under the
Prime Minister’s Office.
“This authority will be charged with
investigating, searching and arresting suspects,” the minister said,
adding that the implementation of the new law would reduce significantly
illicit drug related crimes, including cultivation of bang, production,
selling and trafficking because of punishment proposed.
The minister’s meeting comes after she
had presented a report before the National Assembly on the state of
illicit drugs in the country for 2014.
Ms Mhagama gave the example of a case
that was determined in March, this year, before the High Court at Moshi,
which sentenced a businessman to life imprisonment after convicting him
trafficking 21 kilogrammes of khat, to serve as deterrence to whoever
would be tempted to commit a similar crime.
She further pointed out that the new law
would protect children against dealers of illicit drugs who have been
enticing or involving them in drugs dealing by issuing a custodial
sentence of 30 years for the offence.
In the report, Ms Mhagama analysed several successes the government has achieved through combatting the crime in the country.
She said that a total of 15.7 tonnes of
khat was impounded in 2014, which is the biggest amount to be seized
since 2009. Within the same year, according to the minister, a total of
400 kilogrammes of heroin were impounded in the country, which was ten
times the amount seized in 2013 and the biggest amount since 2000.
The minister pointed out that in 2014,
the number of suspects arrested in connection with heroin dealing
reached 584, which was bigger than any annual arrests since 2000.
Though only 45 kilogrammes of cocaine
were impounded, the minister said that the number of suspected dealers
arrested was 351, which is bigger than any other since 2000.
According to Ms Mhagama, in a move aimed
at combatting the crime, the government, Non-Governmental Organisations
(NGO) and other development partners have been taking several measures,
including provision of education on illicit drugs, treatment and
integration services.
By December 2004, she said, there were
1,787 heroin drug users, including 215 women, who got methadone
treatment in the country. There had been a call in 2014 for the
establishment of sober houses, which saw the establishment of 12 such
houses by seven NGOs
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