Sezibera clarifies on narcotics bill

HUYE - A bill that was recently tabled in parliament by Health Minister Richard Sezibera will criminalise the use of narcotics instead of legalizing it as earlier reported, the minister has said. The Minister was reacting to recent media reports which indicated that the Ministry of Health was pushing for legalising the use of Marijuana for medical purposes. He made the clarification on Thursday while at the National University of Rwanda to hand over equipment to the school of journalism and communication at the Huye-based institution. Sezibera said that the draft law governing drugs, psychotropic substances and precursors, proposes that drugs and psychotropic substances be used only for medical and research purposes. “We need to have a law in place to punish people who engage in illegal drug use, previously people who were arrested for this crime were released by Police because there was no law on which to prosecute them,” said the Minister. Handing over the equipment worth Rwf54million, Sezibera said that the Ministry of Health, through the Health Communication Centre, was making an investment in the students who will be at the forefront of communicating health issues. The donation which includes; professional and digital cameras and recorders to be shared between the National University and Catholic Institute of Kabgyayi follows training given to over 100 students from the two institutions on how to communicate various health issues. The Minister said that students are expected to understand health issues better and to protect themselves from preventable diseases. “We invest in you and our return is your health,” the Minister told the students. The minister called upon students from the school to share the knowledge gained with their colleagues and communicate health issue better as future professionals. The University Rector Professor Silas Lwakabamba welcomed the donation saying that it is a big boost to the school which has a shortage of equipment. Ends