Alcohol, drug abuse contributing to high cases of violence: Samb

TRANSPORT Minister William Samb says alcohol and drug consumption are contributing to the high cases of gender-based violence (GBV) throughout the country.
“We really have to address the (problem of) alcohol and drug abuse in our communities,” he told Parliament on Thursday.
“These factors are motivating gender-based violence.”
Samb was critical of the country’s alcohol manufacturers, especially beer brewers.
He said while the country was yet to address alcohol abuse, another brewer had already been given a licence to operate, bringing the number of brewers to three.
He said the regulators needed to ensure the quality and strength of alcohol produced could be tolerated by consumers.
Samb said marijuana was growing wild in his district and in other provinces in the country.
He said marijuana cultivation was so widespread that the Government needed to consider looking for beneficial ways to use the plant.
Samb said it could be used to produce medicines and other products.
He said this way, people could cultivate and sell it for legitimate purposes.