‘Say No To Drugs’ Campaign Intensifies In Maryland

By: Emmanuel Tarpeh Quiah-Maryland County

Maryland County-October 10, 2025: Thursday marked a powerful day of advocacy in Maryland County as women, youth, and religious leaders united to take a firm stand against the growing threat of drug abuse in Liberia’s southeastern region.

Under the banner, “Maryland Women Against Illicit Drugs,” scores of women, supported by religious institutions and civil society organizations, marched through the principal streets of Pleebo and Harper cities in a simultaneous anti-drug campaign themed, “Say No to Narcotic Substances and Alcohol.”

The campaign which drew participants from the Full Gospel Church, the Maryland Civil Society Organization, and the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA), sought to raise awareness about the devastating effects of substance abuse and call for stronger preventive measures at both local and national levels.

Chanting anti-drug slogans and carrying placards with messages such as “Protect Our Youths, Say No to Drugs,” and “Communities United Against Substance Abuse,” the demonstrators urged the government to intensify its crackdown on drug trafficking and consumption across the county.

Following the street parade, the participants converged at the Harper Administrative Building, where they presented a formal petition to local authorities calling for the creation of a County Anti-Drug Taskforce.

Reading the petition on behalf of the group, spokesperson Annie Mongan described the drug crisis as a “dangerous and destructive force tearing apart families and endangering the future of young Liberians.”

Madam Annie Mongan reads the petition statement

“Honorable Superintendent, today we have gathered to bring to your attention that the issue of drugs is damaging the lives of our children, youths, and the county as a whole,” Mongan said. “We are calling on your office to establish a taskforce that will help report and combat drug activities in our communities.”

In response, Maryland County Superintendent Henry Cole commended the women and faith-based leaders for their civic engagement and promised his full support toward establishing the proposed taskforce.

“I am deeply impressed by your courage and unity,” Superintendent Cole remarked. “This initiative will not only help the LDEA but also strengthen our community efforts to protect our young people from this social menace.”

Echoing his remarks, Grand Gedeh Superintendent Alex Grant and River Gee Superintendent Mike Swengbe, who attended the event as special guests, emphasized the importance of regional cooperation in tackling the drug problem that continues to affect southeastern Liberia.

Anti-drug Campaigners parade through the principal street of Harper

They pledged to work together in launching a Southeastern Anti-Drug Alliance aimed at sharing intelligence, coordinating community responses, and engaging youth in alternative livelihood programs.

The day-long campaign ended with a prayer session, led by religious leaders from the Full Gospel Church, who called for divine intervention and national unity in the fight against drugs.

The initiative has been widely praised by residents of Maryland County as a strong statement of community responsibility and grassroots leadership in addressing one of Liberia’s most pressing social challenges.