As campaign for the 2023 Presidential and Legislative intensifies in the country, Liberians have again begun chanting a new slogan in support of their candidates as was done in 1997 when some supporters of the National patriotic Party (NPP) of former President Charles G. Taylor sang the slogan, “You kill my pa, you kill my ma, I will vote for you.”
This time around another political slogan has emerged as some female supporters of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) have begun chanting thw a new slogan, “We want kush, we want kush,” in an apparent support to the ruling party.
“We want kush, we want kush, we want kush, we want kush,” scores of female supporters of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) recently chanted, as they paraded parts of central Monrovia as part of their campaign process.
Drug use has been a contentious issue for decades, and it is somehow uncommon to hear of women advocating for drug use. While their intention is yet to be known, the consequences of such advocacy can be dire.
The CDC administration has been accused of being the masterminding force behind the importation of drug (especially kush) in Liberia though the government has since denied the allegation and said it has investigated some of the drug cases in recent times.
Practically, this has been emphasized mostly by the opposition. It has also been used against the government during the campaign, as the opposition has told Liberians that the government is responsible for the rapid proliferation of illegal substances in Liberia, while they (opposition) also believe that the government has done less to curb the situation.
Amid this and the horrible effects of drugs on the youths of Liberia, women believed to be supporters of the CDC openly told Liberians and the world that they need the harmful substance-kush, a narcotic substance that is killing lot of young people in Liberia since its discovery.
As widely known, drug use is associated with numerous health risks, including addiction, overdose, and mental health problems. Women advocating for drug use can lead to the creation of a culture of drug use which can be difficult to eradicate.
Many who heard women advocacy for the presence of kush described their action as a deviant behavior. The women advocacy for drug can be viewed as immoral or irresponsible. This stigma can impact the government, their job opportunities and overall quality of life,” one observer pointed out.
According to Aaron Dayougar, an elderly man, the women who are advocating for drug use (kush), risk exposing their children to the dangers of drugs. Children who grow up in households where drug use is normalized are more likely to experiment with drugs themselves. This can lead to a cycle of drug use that can be difficult to break.”
“On the other hand, the women advocacy which displayed their lack of knowledge to drug effects puts their administration in a complicated situation, especially in such a time when an official of the administration has been excused of importing drug,” Mr. Dayougar observed.
On Sunday, September 10, 2023, the Management of the Roberts International Airport confirmed that suspicious boxes transported directly from the tarmac in a minibus and being escorted by the airport’s chief of security were intercepted by officers of the Armed Forces of Liberia. According to the airport management, the AFL had reported that Mr. Freeman had claimed that the package belonged to Finda Bundo, the President’s Chief of Protocol. However, Mr. Freeman denied saying such to the AFL officers.
This unorthodox advocacy by the women of the ruling party according to political pundits, has the propensity to undermine the government’s fight against drug. Moreover, women who advocate for drug use risk promoting a behavior that can have serious consequences.
The health risks, legal consequences, social stigma, impact on children, and economic consequences of drug use are significant. It is important for women to consider the long-term impact of their advocacy and to promote healthy behaviors that lead to positive outcomes for themselves and their communities.
Kush, the substance which the women vehemently called for, is a very harmful illegal drug, is speedily increasing on every street corner across Liberia, as its terribleness has been seen through the multiplicity of demeaning ways it has treated its end users, especially young folks (at-risk youth and home children), through maltreatment, madness, and death.
Over the last few months, there have been reports of several deaths that were reportedly influenced by the consumption of kush in Caldwell, New Georgia, the Central Caldwell Back Road, Grand Cape Mount County, and other parts of Liberia, as young people remain the number one victims.
Hundreds of young Liberians are indescribably falling prey to the dreadful hands of the narcotic substance that’s also known as K2, which often treats them like they are going mad.
The advocacy for kush by some women in the name of campaigning for their political party or candidates is a fresh reminder of what happened in the late 1990s when some Liberians in supporting former President Charles Ghankay Taylor publicly said, “You killed my ma, you killed my pa, I will vote for you.” In 2005 Liberians again chanted another slogan saying, “You know book, you don’t know book, I will vote for you.”
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