COPING WITH THE LEGACY OF DRUG ADDICTION

PSYCHIATRISTS HAVE ATTRIBUTED some of the widespread lawlessness in
Liberia to drug abuse. They estimate that up to 70 per cent of the
country's fighting forces - most of them child soldiers - continues to
be users of illicit substances.

Thousands of children were conscripted into the fighting forces and
made to take drugs so that they would be brave enough to fight - so
that they will be cannon fodder for heartless warlords. Many of them
became drug addicts and were even transformed into unquestioning
"killing-machines".

DESPITE THE ONGOING disarmament and demobilization, former child
soldiers are still causing havoc - never mind their much heralded
"reintegration" into the society. Monday's uprising is a case in
point. As a way of dispensing mob justice, hundreds of drug-addicted
youth - acting on behalf of marketers - thronged the streets of the
capital to avenge the killing of some traders. In a melee that
followed, they demolished the suspected "criminal dens" of fellow drug
addicts, killed and wounded several people and damaged an inestimable
number of properties.

SO WAS THE case. For many people, photographs of crazed child soldiers
operating under the influence of drug were the defining images of
Liberia's civil war.

Although the pictures no longer occupy the front pages of newspapers,
the problems of drug addiction on the part of the youthful combatants
persist.

LIBERIA HAS EXPERIENCED intermittent bouts of civil war since 1990
even though the most recent conflict started in 1998. Since that time,
substances like cocaine and heroin have become commonplace.

Liberia is said to have become a transit point of trafficking drugs to
other states in the region. Those who smuggle drugs into the country
take advantage of its porous borders, and the fact that fighting has
undermined immigration controls. Many people have not seen visible
attempts on the side of the law enforcement agencies to stop the
rampant smuggling of these substances. We also notice that local
production also plays a role. The central town of Palala was one of
the main areas for cultivating marijuana, according to statistics.

THIS LUCRATIVE BUSINESS has attracted many people. In fact, the wives
of certain security personnel have been accused of playing a prominent
role in drug pushing. In an ironic twist, certain former combatants
are known to have used the funds from their disarmament benefits to
engage in drug trade.

ILLICT DRUG SUBSTANCES have adversely affected the lives of many
people, especially the youth. When they are on drug, everything
becomes simple for them. They overlook everything and everybody. Peer
pressure also continues to play a role in the problem of drug
addiction. Many youth take drugs at social gathering, especially the
ghettoes. When they get high, they make wild statements and do brave
things.

PSYCHIATRISTS HAVE WARNED that Liberia may become a drug addicted
state by 2015 if authorities fail to do something to curtail the
menace. We, therefore, urge the government and those now taking charge
of national security not only to concentrate on the flow of arms along
the borders but to also do something to stop the rampant smuggling of
illicit drug substances which cause lots of harm to abusers and the
larger society.