By Staff Writer
HOME Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister,Kazembe Kazembe has decried the negative impact of drugs and substances abuse among the country’s youth amid calls for society to up the ante in the fight against the tide.
He made the remarks at an event to recieve drugs detection equipment which includes the Raman Spectrometer , drug extraction and sampling kits donation handed over by the Chinese envoy to Zimbabwe Thursday.
Kazembe said what is more worrying in the country are revelations that drugs are being manufactured and traded in communities under the majority’s watch with many turning a blind eye and even deciding to be part of the problem.
Irked by the penetration of drugs and substances abuses in the country, the government last year launched an operation which locked thousands of peddlers behind the bars and partly eased thed abuse of such deadly substances.
“It is high time we put our heads together as society for the common good of our country.Surely the cost of doin nothing about his problem far exceeds the cost o doing something.
“I am reliably informed that the euipment we are recieving today has the capacity to analyse traces of drugs as well as their components .In addition, this equipment can also detect explosives and hazardous substances,” Kazembe said.
He expressed confidence that with the right equipment, the country’s policing system can efficiently nip drugs abuses in the bud.
He extended heartfelt gratitude on behalf of the nation of Zimbabwe to China’s Ambassador in Zimbabwe Zhou Ding for the timely and unwavering support dating back to the war of liberation struggle.
“Our friendship with the People’s Republic of China has now reahed a point where we are inseperable.Today’s handover ceremony is yet another milestone in our quest to mitigate the effects of drugand substance abuse which has reached unprecedented levels among youths,” he said.
Also addressing delegates at the handover ceremony ,Ambassador Ding reaffirmed his country’s commitments to supporting Zimbabwe’s National Anti-Drug and substance abuse campaign .
“Under the leadership of HE Chinese President Xi Jinping and HE Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa , both of our two Governments have zero tolerance for narcotics and are committed to winning the people’s war against drug abuse,” he said.
Ding said the China-aided Anti-Narcotics project would further improve ZRP’s capacity in drug identification, detection and analysis.
For instance ,he said, the Raman spectroscopy drug inspection terminal equipped in the laboratory can identify narcotics , precursor and harzadous chemicals in just a few seconds without direct contact with the tested substance.
“The trace drug detector made with advanced lon mobility spectrometer technology , is highly sensitive ,portable and easy to operate , and causes no radiation harm to the human body.
“I believe that such powerful detection tools will help strengthen Zimbabwe’s capacity is also a presiquite for Zimbabwe’s social and economic progress,” added Ding.
