ILLEGAL DRUGS CAN DESTROY FAMILIES AND TEAR COMMUNITIES APART - HH

Today we officiated at this year's commemoration of the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, where the theme was "Addressing Drug Challenges In Health And Humanitarian Crises".

As a nation we can't solve a problem we don't acknowledge, and so the moving testimonies we heard from the victims of drug abuse really underscored our collective aspiration to fight this vice, which has far such horrible consequences.

Illegal drug dealing threatens to disrupt our way of life and the security of this nation.

Sadly, those most effected by this vice are our youth, whose future this nation relies upon.

That's why we called upon the Drug Enforcement Commission to finalise the Drug and Substance Control Policy, taking into account the international instruments which constitute the global cornerstone of the International Drug Control System.

Illegal drugs can destroy families and tear communities apart. There is no place for drug traffickers in Zambia. We will find you. We will protect our communities, and our children, from the pain of addiction. If you think you are above the rule of law, you are wrong.

We ask all citizens to protect your community today by reporting illegal drug dealing to the DEC and the Police. We will support you and your families as we rid our country of illegal drugs and corruption.

Hakainde Hichilema,

President of the Republic of Zambia