ASABA/Nigeria: Findings have revealed that the consumption of Indian Hemp has not only been on the increase but toping the rate of illicit drugs consumed in Delta State.
The State Commandant, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Mr Dennis Obiefule, gave the revelation in an interview with our correspondent in Ogwashi-Uku, headquarters of Aniocha South Local Government Area.
Obiefule, while describing the trend as disturbing, attributed the increased consumption of Indian Hemp to higher demand and the cultivation of the substance in the state.
According to Mr Obiefule, a total of 1,773.55 kilogrammes of different drugs were seized in the past three months, adding that from the figures, Indian hemp amounted to 1,772.72 kilogrammes, cocaine 141 grammes, heroin 58 grammes, methamphetamine 68 grammes and psychotropic 534 grammes.
The NDLEA boss disclosed that between January and March 2021, the command arrested 74 persons, out of which there were 59 males and 15 females.
The agency, according to him, was handling the challenge in line with its mandate of drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction.
He said drug supply reduction had to do with the arrest, investigation and prosecution of those involved in trafficking, cultivation or production of illicit and controlled substances.
The command, he further stated, embarked on Indian Hemp farms destruction on 20th March 2021 in Oko-Anala and Oko-Ogbele in Oshimili South Local Government Area. Adding that a total of 61. 3 hectares of cannabis sativa farm (Indian hemp) was destroyed, adding that most of farms were into commercial production.
Obiefule said another aspect of drug supply reduction was prosecution of drug traffickers, saying that for the period of January and March 2021, the command secured 12 convictions at the Federal High Courts in Asaba and Warri.
He said that on drug demand reduction aspect, the command had counselled 11 persons (drug abusers) and that the command had also embarked on five days drug abuse preventive lectures.
Obiefule said that the idea behind the destruction of farms was to prevent the people from harvesting their illicit drug and was equally to take the fight to the source, instead of waiting for them to harvest.
The NDLEA boss appealed to the public to support the command by supplying information to the command to enable it perform effectively.
While saying that the agency could not address the drug problems alone, he said it needed the support of well-meaning people in the society and governments at all levels.
