Decriminalization way forward to fight drug, subst...

Decriminalization way forward to fight drug, substance abuse: Wilson Box

**Zimbabwe Civil Liberties and Drug Network director Mr Wilson Box**

Patricia Mashiri

Zim Now Reporter

The Zimbabwe Civil Liberties and Drug Network director, Wilson Box has said there is need to decriminalize drug and substance use in order to defeat the challenge that threatens to destroy generations.

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“We want to demystify the thought that decriminalization is legalization. It simply means that we are seeing the issue of drug use in Zimbabwe as public health issue rather than a criminal issue,” said Box on the side lines of a media engagement and sensitisation hosted by ZCLDN during the past week.

Box said most people assume that decriminalisation means creating a haven for drug lords when in fact it will result in cutting out the opportunity for illegal drug dealing.

“The advantage of decriminalization is it takes a person from the streets to a health facility where that person is will be treated whole heartedly in terms of other opportunistic infections that comes from drug abuse and also it takes a person to where harm reduction services are. So far, the population has drug addiction so for one to be treated out of it one needs reduction services and all those things are part of drug decriminalization,” he said.

Box said they are advocating for removal of criminal convictions upon a person who uses drugs and having alternative ways of assisting them.

“Once we decriminalize then it means we are cutting off supply of those drug dealers because if you criminalize drug use, the person who is using drugs the person will use underground because they are afraid of the law. The trafficker follows that person underground and continues doing their day-to-day activities,” Box said.

Box said that there is need to capacitate the health sector to offer effective rehabilitation regimes. He said at the moment most centres in the country are just offering counselling services and have no appropriate drugs that eliminate cravings for addicts working their way to abstinence.

Zimbabwe has been batting drug and substance abuse with a lot of young people caught in the vicious cycle.

Poverty and lack of opportunities have been cited as the driving factors for drug and substance dependency in high density areas.

But the upper levels of society have not been spared with a top private Harare institution coming out into the open to expel learners for drug use during school activities.

Crystal Meth commonly known as mutoriro, gukha or dombo is the most common illegal drug in the streets as it is very cheap.

The ZCLDN in 2023 reported that alcohol, drugs and other substances abuse in order of consumption is cannabis (67%), cough syrup (47%), crystal meth (36%), illegal alcohol (31%), pharmaceuticals (13%), crack (3%), cocaine powder (3%), and heroin (2%).