Group advocates removal of Narcotics from exclusive list, rejects death penalty for addicts

A non-governmental organization, Bensther Foundation, has advocated the removal of narcotics from the exclusive list.

Executive Director of the foundation, Nonso Maduka made the call during a media parley on ‘Nigeria Drug Law: Way Forward’, held in Enugu.

The parley was organized in collaboration with the National Human Rights Commission and Youthrise Nigeria, during which the organisation also rejected the death penalty for drug addicts.

In a speech at the occasion, Maduka stressed that there was a need to remove the issue of substance use (Narcotics) from the exclusive list to enable states adopt approaches they believed would be effective in the fight against drug abuse and other drug issues.

He insisted that states “under the exclusive list, cannot cannot do anything except they go to Abuja”, advocating that the issue of substance use should run concurrently like other health issues.

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“We need to remove the issue of substance use, narcotics, from the exclusive list, let it run concurrently just like other health issues because the drugs laws are under the exclusive list, states cannot do anything and if they have to do anything, they have to go to Abuja,” he said.

Maduka stressed the need for amendment of some drug laws so that the NDLEA would not be a prosecutor and a judge at the same time.

He further suggested that the NDLEA should focus on drug supply reduction, explaining that drug demand reduction required strong staff strength which he said the agency lacked at the moment.

Maduka refused to throw his weight behind the death penalty for drug offenders, saying they have helped many drug addicts in Enugu.