By David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has said that drug addiction is a form of illness, and those suffering from it deserve the same level of affection as people who are down with other ailments.
An Assistant Commander, Operations and Intelligence, NDLEA, Anambra Command, Mr. Inalegu Ameh, made the call while speaking with journalists Wednesday at the Anambra Broadcasting Service (ABS) during a radio programme.
He said drug addiction had become a plague to families and the society, and is a condition in which a person becomes dependent on drugs, thereby lacking self control, exhibiting withdrawal syndromes as well as many other deficiencies.
Ameh referred to drug addicts as dependent people, noting that they are sick and as such should be given special attention as other people who suffer ailments like typhoid and malaria.
He called for community policies and sanctions against drug peddlers in order to discourage others, stressing that where there is supply, there must be a demand or patronage.
He added that determination, strong will, as well as the desire to desist from it, on the part of the dependant, counselling from experts, rehabilitation and total avoidance from all triggering factors are part of interventions that can arrest the situation.
He reassured the audience that NDLEA as an agency was bent on tackling drug addiction by setting up programmes in collaboration with experts, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the United Nations as the battle cannot be fought alone.
