In an emotional visit to the Harmful Drug Rehabilitation Facility at the Peace Mission Training Centre Barracks in Hastings, His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio yesterday assured recovering victims of his administration’s unwavering commitment to ending the national crisis of kush and synthetic drug abuse.
President Bio expressed deep concern over the pandemic, which he described as a direct threat to the country’s future. “If you destroy your future now, there will be no one to develop Sierra Leone. I see a very bright future in all of you. We want you to be better citizens than us and that’s why we are breaking the chain of supply of these harmful drugs,” he stated.
The President strongly condemned those involved in the drug trade, singling out parents who profit from the illicit sale of kush. “It saddens me to learn that some parents are selling kush. I urge them to stop immediately and find a decent way to earn a living,” he warned, calling the practice a betrayal of parental duty.
Outlining the government’s strategy, President Bio confirmed that rehabilitation facilities are now operational in Hastings, Gondama in Bo, and Daru in Kailahun, with plans advanced to establish another in Teko, Makeni. He also issued a directive for the police and judiciary to intensify action against drug traffickers.
The visit took a poignant turn as the President listened to harrowing testimonies from victims and parents. He expressed visible outrage upon hearing the account of a mother who was imprisoned for eight months after her son, a kush addict, stole Le17,000 from a dealer.
“That woman suffered double jeopardy, she was punished for her son’s addiction and for her poverty. That was wrong,” the President said firmly.
Other testimonies highlighted the programme’s successes. Hawa Gborie, a single mother, recounted how her son’s addiction led to her imprisonment, a situation only reversed after his rehabilitation at the free government facility. Elizabeth Ansumana shared how her son, a trained lawyer, saw his career destroyed by kush before the government’s free programme provided a lifeline the family could not afford privately.
A recovering victim, Margaret Jawara, now an anti-drug ambassador, credited the Hastings facility and the Ministry of Social Welfare for her recovery after peer pressure led her to addiction at university.
The Minister of Social Welfare, Mrs. Melrose Karminty, thanked the President for his leadership and reported that military support at the barracks had improved security. She also noted that the ministry is conducting family tracing to successfully reintegrate victims back into their communities.
Concluding the visit, President Bio reaffirmed his government’s determination to defeat the kush scourge through a tripartite approach of prevention, rehabilitation, and justice, calling on all citizens to join the fight to save the nation’s youth.
