'Over 5,000 drug
addicts live in The Gambia' |
||||
The Assistant Commissioner of Western Division, Mr Kebba Ceesay has said that over five thousand people addicted to various types of illegal drugs were currently living in the Gambia and that more are yet to be discovered by the authorities. Mr Ceesay made this disclosure during the opening ceremony
of the International Organisation of Good Templers (IOGT)
extra-ordinary congress held in Brikama this past Saturday.
According to the Assistant Commissioner there were 181 drug cases in
1996 and out of this number "thirty percent were foreigners
while seventy percent were Gambians". Ceesay further
stated that in 1997, there were 323 drug cases and that twenty- six
percent were foreigners while the remainding seventy-four percent
were Gambians.
"The statistics on drugs related cases show a
steady increase in the number of the Gambians involved in illegal
drugs", he said, adding that drug abuse always increases the
crime rate in the country and retards development.
On the issue of mental illness cases in the Campama
Mental Clinic, Mr Kebba Ceesay pointed out that 1,100 mentally ill
people were admitted and that 605 of those were due to the use of
illegal drugs.
He asserted that the government is concerned
over an apparent high rate of drug abuse.
"That is why the government has set up a drug
control unit within the Department of State for Interior" he
said.
He called on the IOGT to compliment government's
effort so as to eradicate drug abuse in the country.
In his contribution, the outgoing chairman of IOGT
The Gambia, Mr Samboujang Conteh said that the organisation was
formed to minimise or eradicate drug abuse among the general public,
with special emphasis on youths.
"IOGT has been doing all efforts to see the total
eradication of drugs. We had embarked on campaigning against drugs
and alcohol, and we organised sensitisation programmes on the
issue" Mr Conteh said. Meanwhile, elections conducted
at the end of the IOGT congress for the position of national
chairman saw Alagie M.M Jallow emerging as the new
head. |