He said functions and powers of the authority will be based on recommendations to be made by the task force formed by President Jakaya Kikwete. Mr Marmo said President Kikwete formed the task force comprising of officials from Tanzania Intelligence Services, Tanzania Revenue Authority, police force and the Drug Control Commission. We discovered the commission lacks some powers to address the problem accordingly and we have, therefore, seen the importance of having a powerful authority to address the problem.
The authority will be autonomous, with its own budget and resources. The problem is very serious and Tanzania is highly ranked in drug trafficking due to its geography and meagre resources to control the problem, said Mr Marmo. Mr Marmo said that drug abuse among youths especially school children has gone up significantly, contributing to increased cases of truancy and dropouts.
A big number of school children are now affected with drug abuse and they fail to attend classes. Of late victims of drug abuse include street children, this is a major challenge to the government and the society as whole because local authorities have been overwhelmed with the problem, the minister explained.
He said 37,228 suspects were arrested for drug trafficking between 2003 and 2008 and 27,516 cases were opened during the period under review. He also said that 8,311 victims of drug abuse were identified during the period and were reformed in various health facilities in the country.
The minister, however, declined to comment on the whereabout of widely publicised list of 100 drug barons said to have been presented to President Jakaya Kikwete. Mr Marmo said that this year’s occasion would be held at national level in Iringa region and will be graced by the Vice President, Dr Ali Mohammed Shein. The theme of this years International Day against Illicit Drug Trafficking is: “Avoid Drug Trafficking.”
Daily News
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