AfricaPress-Tanzania: THE government has reported a sharp increase in the use of painkiller drugs as it tightens control of production, distribution and use of illicit drug abuse in the country.
While marijuana remains the most used psychoactive drug throughout 2019, a prescription opioid drug such as Tramadol, Ketamine, and Valium was extremely used as alternative drugs to heroin and cocaine addicts.
At least 55.35 kilograms of heroin and 10.34 kilograms of cocaine were seized last year. Also, about 21.16 tons of marijuana and 9.07 tons of khat were apprehended by state authorities.
Deputy Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister, Labor, Youths and Employment, Anthony Mavunde said at the National Assembly that the war on drug abuse has exacerbated the use of opioid drugs.
Presenting the state of illicit drug trafficking in the country, the deputy minister added that drug addicts are now finding comfort on painkillers, especially since they have no access to drugs such as cocaine and heroin.
The Drug Control and Enforcement Authority (DCEA), has fought aggressively to win the war on illicit drug abuse and trafficking in the country, he said.
He explained that DCEA had worked with other enforcing agencies within and outside the country in conducting operations across borders and within the Indian Ocean—one of the key routes used in trafficking illegal and highly addictive drugs.
During the operations, some 10,384 people were arrested and prosecuted. Drugs seized by authorities are usually destroyed under the law involving other state authorities.
“Marijuana is legally allowed to be farmed for research purposes…but when seized otherwise, and after the court ruling, such drugs are also destroyed,” he said.
The deputy minister told reporters that in 2019, authorities destroyed some 122.55 kilograms of heroin and an additional 71.507kg of cocaine.
“The government has so far established six specialised drug treatment centers to help addicts using methadone treatment clinics,” Mavunde said.
The centres in Dodoma, Mbeya, Mwanza, and Dar es Salaam offer services to at least 7,600 drug addicts. In addition, he estimated that one in every eight injecting drug users is living with HIV/AIDs.
The United Nations Agency for HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) also estimates that IDUs are 22 times more likely to be infected with HIV.
DCEA Commissioner for Prevention and Treatment, Dr Peter Mfisi, said existing laws allow cannabis cultivation in the country for scientific use.
