. Speaking at the just-ended ESACD expert meeting on cannabis policy that was held at Avani Hotel, Gaborone, the commission’s Chairperson, Kgalema Motlanthe, who is also the former President of South Africa, emphasised the need for a shift away from disciplinary measures that criminalise drug users. The meeting was aimed at drawing attention to the experts’ contributions in formulating policy frameworks on the legalisation of cannabis for medical and scientific purposes in Eastern and Southern Africa. Motlanthe urged governments to adopt drug policy frameworks that provide alternatives to strict criminalisation, highlighting that the approach is gaining traction globally. “Many parts of the world are realising that criminalising drug users is not the solution. Instead, we must look at alternative methods that are more humane and effective in managing drug use. Countries should change the way they police their drug market,” he said. Motlanthe’s remarks came alongside a call for a fundamental shift in law enforcement approaches to drug trafficking. He argued that current policies, which focus on prosecuting low-level drug users and small-time dealers, are ineffective in tackling the illicit drug trade. “If we truly want to disrupt the drug market, we must move away from targeting the lowest levels and redirect our focus to dismantling the high-level trafficking networks. We should be investigating, arresting, and convicting high-level traffickers and high officials who support them. We should not target people who use drugs,” he explained.
The Commission Chairperson highlighted that drug policies must prioritize targeting the highest-level traffickers and the officials who support them. “Instead of prosecuting individuals who use drugs, our efforts should be directed at investigating, arresting, and convicting the powerful syndicates and corrupt officials who perpetuate the drug trade,” said Motlanthe. Motlanthe added that countries must also ensure universal access to harm reduction and science-based treatment services for people who use drugs. He said such services must therefore be available at a community level, in prisons to mention but a few, so that there can be more effective responses to public health related harm of drugs than through the implementation of harm reduction service programming. Furthermore, he said that as a recommendation, the commission will call for the release of all people currently in detention for minor drug offences such as drug use and drug possession for personal use. He argued that currently, in most countries, prisons and remand centres are overcrowded with people who were found in possession of drugs for personal use whilst high-level traffickers are free. “Our prisons should not be filled with people only because they were using drugs. Let's shift the focus and target high-level traffickers. Governments are currently using a lot of money looking after drug users, the money that could have been used to develop the country’s economy,” he said.
