Advocates of decriminalization of narcotics use and addiction have drummed home the need for persons involved to be treated as sick people and not as criminals.
They also want government to establish rehabilitation centres and also put in place enforceable legal regulations on drug use.
Speaking at a maiden edition of public lecture on drug policy reform, which is currently before Parliament, the advocates were convinced that throwing such people into jail have not yielded the expected result of reform and deterrence but rather worsen their cases.
Currently before Parliament is the Narcotics Control Commission Amendment Bill expected to be passed into law to replace the existing Narcotics Drugs Law, PNDC Law 236. According to the advocates the bill pays little attention to harm reduction, public health, welfare of users, prison population and alternatives to incarceration.
The lecture was therefore to educate and collate views of the public on the bill as well as to make a strong case for the decriminalization of drug use and addiction especially marijuana or Indian hemp and the introduction of at least custodial sentencing for offenders.
A lawyer and Executive Director of West Africa Civil Society Institute, Nana Asantewa Afadzinu said countries all over the world are reforming their legal regimes with much focus on decriminalization, rehabilitation and also putting in place legal regulations on drug use and Ghana cannot be an exception.
The Executive Director of POS Foundation, Jonathan Osei Owusu called for the introduction of custodial sentencing for offenders.
He said a study his foundation conducted showed that most of the offenders preferred custodial sentencing as their incarceration had worsened their situation.
Speaking on Drugs, People and Policy, Neuroscientist and Drug Researcher at the Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry, Columbus University in the US, Prof. Carl Hart, asked people to disabuse their minds that drug addiction is a brain sickness.
He wondered why someone can entertain himself with alcohol yet it is a crime to use some amount of drugs for self-entertainment.
He re-echoed the need to decriminalization drug use and addiction and rather called for legal regulations for drug use.
An emotional documentary compiled by the Crime Check Foundation on the plight of prison inmates convicted of drug offences and the impact of their incarceration on their immediate families was shown to the gathering.
Story filed by Seth Eyiah
