DRUGS PROBLEM CONTINUES TO HAUNT ZAMBIA

ZAMBIA, like many African countries, is facing a complex problem of
cannabis cultivation, trafficking and abuse.

Though interdiction efforts have been stepped up in the recent past,
seizures of the drugs are on the increase, especially from the countryside.

One wonders how cannabis cultivations have gone undetected by the Drug
Enforcement Commission (DEC) until may be to a point when the crop is ready
for harvest.

Speaking at a workshop recently, DEC commissioner Mukutulu Sinyani lamented
that insufficient manpower and other operational and logistical hiccups had
contributed to the non-detection of some cultivators.

Mr Sinyani said that the present workforce, coupled with lack of transport,
could not allow the few officers to be all over to check on who was
cultivating cannabis, saying they could only act on a tip from informers or
societ

He cited lack of information flow, particularly in the rural areas, on the
damaging effect of the drug on consumers who were mostly youths as it made
them unstable, as a major inhibiting factor.

But he was quick to say that the DEC had received many calls from some
people that the cultivation of cannabis should be legalised.

"Let me take this opportunity today and state that Zambia will never
legalise the cultivation of cannabis.

Countries that have legalised this drug are not producing countries and
hence they can control the small quantities of cannabis entering their
countries," Mr Sinyani said.

Zambia on the other hand is a producing country of cannabis and this drug
is now being grown at a commercial level. This also means the country
exports to outside markets.

He said, for instance, interdiction efforts had so far yielded 54 tonnes of
cannabis with an estimated street value of K40.5 billion for the period of
January to May 2003.

This mark is more than what was seized in the whole of 2002 when 16 tonnes
were confiscated.

Tooth and Nail

In a paper presented to journalists attending a three-day workshop on drugs
and money laundering in Lusaka, Mr Sinyani said the Commission was
determined to fight the scourge tooth and nail with the assistance of
cooperating partners in ensuring total eradication.

"The majority of people involved in cannabis cultivation and trafficking
are Zambians who transport the commodity to neighbouring countries like
Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and the final destination being South Africa,"
Mr Sinyani disclosed.

Zambia is a signatory to international instruments in the Southern African
Development Community (SADC) region and the African Union (AU) drug control
focal point in Addis Ababa where Mr Sinyani was privileged to represent
Zambia prior to his latest appointment.

Mr Sinyani had an opportunity during that time of seeing how the African
countries perceive the problem of drug control both in supply reduction and
demand reduction.

Furthermore, Zambia has ratified all relevant UN treaties coupled with its
local laws which would continue to reflect the letter and spirit of these
international legal instruments.

It is expected that most honest and realistic Zambians would be aware of
the damage that the cultivation, abuse, sale and trafficking of cannabis
has done to youths on whom the future of the nation depends.

Mr Sinyani said eradication of cannabis cultivation in Zambia has finally
reached the highest goal that the nation can achieve and that President
Mwanawasa has the correct vision.

"We have been reducing the demand and supply of the drugs in the country
for the past 12 years. It is time now we put strategies for eradication,"
he said.

Mr Sinyani challenged journalists to partner with the Commission in the
eradication programme by ensuring that there was information flow on
cannabis both in the community where they lived and also at work places.

Traditionally, some known ethnic groups utilise the drug as a stimulant to
make them strong enough to participate in physical work, of course without
regard to the consequences it has on both their mental faculties and
physique, while others use it as a herbal remedy for ear-ache though not
scientifically proven.

He said society needed to be sensitised on the dangers of the drug upon
consumption and its damaging effects on the nation's economy, including the
social aspect, though it may seem as a profitable venture to suppliers.

It is common knowledge how the so-called youths react under the influence
of drugs which make them bold enough to perpetrate crimes ranging from
assaults to robberies.

Police recently expressed concern at the ongoing trend which was not only
posing a threat to national security but also endangering the lives of
law-abiding citizens.

Most Abused Drug

It has been noted from persons who attended a rehabilitation programme
under the DEC national education campaign division (NECD) that the most
common drug of abuse is cannabis or marijuana.

According to information available, Lusaka has seen a rise in the number of
youngsters, especially street kids, sniffing bostic and abusing heroine.

Townships are becoming common havens where these youngsters depend on the
above drugs to make them 'high'.

Mr Sinyani said that the so-called suppliers were mainly interested in the
turnover of yields rather than the consequences of their cultivations.

Another drug which is a by-product of cannabis is hashish which has
continued to appear from year to year and, in most cases, is meant for
export to Europe.

Cocaine: A psychotropic substance, has continued to appear from year to
year and in most cases is meant for export to Europe.

Miraa: The prevalence of miraa trafficked by persons from East African
countries, especially those claiming to be Somalians and Kenyans, has begun
to raise concern to the DEC although the psychotropic substance is meant
for markets in South Africa.

Alluding to this drug, Mr Sinyani said this was because in the near future
Zambians would begin to be addicted to the same drug as long as it passed
through the country.

Interdiction efforts in the period under review netted a total of 196kg of
miraa with an estimated street value of K1.2 billion.

Diazepam: In the past five months alone the Commission has seized 118
grammes and 57 tablets, respectively.

Though the drug still remains insignificant in terms of quantities seized
so far, there is growing concern because most of it is pilfered from
medical institutions and the rate is increasing.

Thus the use of diazepam would constitute a major threat to the youth who
are the main abusers.

Mandrax: Trafficking has in the past few years assumed low levels but there
are indications that trafficking in the same is resurfacing with a view to
testing the market.

The border town of Nakonde linking Zambia to Tanzania is notorious for
opium trafficking, mainly by persons of East African origin who transport
the narcotic drug by road and rail (Tazara) into Zambia en route to the
South African market.

A Transit Route

Mr Sinyani in his presentation observed that Zambia was still being used as
a transit route of illicit drugs from other countries destined for South
African and European markets.

The major source of the drugs include the South East and West Asian continent.

Heroine reaches Zambia through the East African countries such as Tanzania,
Kenya and Ethiopia. Cocaine on the other hand comes through Luanda in
Angola due to diamond trade, and also through the Namibian ports of entry
to Lusaka before finally being exported to South Africa and Europe.

The Kasumbalesa border point between Zambia and the Democratic Republic of
the Congo has been identified as an entry point of drugs like cocaine and
heroin into Zambia's Copperbelt Province before they are transported to
Lusaka, and their destination is South Africa.

Previously heroin reached Zambia by air from the Indian sub-continent. The
current scenario has seen Tanzanians and Kenyans taking an upper hand in
the trafficking of the drug via the Nakonde border post as their entry point.

Mr Sinyani said that Zambia, as a member of the international community,
ratified all UN conventions against drug trafficking and, at the regional
level, the SADC drug control protocol has been ratified.

The country has also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with many
countries, including those in Europe, on the extradition of persons
arrested in foreign countries on drug charges.

"One such country is the United Kingdom (UK). As a country we can proudly
say we enjoy maximum international co-operation in drug interdiction
efforts," Mr Sinyani said.

He, however, said despite the presence of drugs in Zambia, no drug baron
exists in the nation and all those previous household names no longer hold
their fame as their operations have been completely fused out.

Mr Sinyani called for concerted efforts among stakeholders in the fight
against the drug scourge if Zambia was to attain the eradicating stage.

Drugs would no doubt give birth to money laundering, a potential killer of
the nation's economic growth and can also affect the social fabric of a
young democracy if left unchecked.