Drug laws need updating: Kwa

PAPUA New Guinea’s current laws on drug and alcohol abuse are outdated, says Justice and Attorney-General secretary Dr Eric Kwa.
Kwa said the Government had tasked the Constitutional Law and Reform Commission (CLRC) to review the nation’s laws and make them relevant.
He said the review was done last year and the report from CLRC would be completed soon which would then be submitted to the Government and the Department of Justice and Attorney-General.
He said the Narcotics Bureau would look at the report’s recommendations from the CLRC and see how the department could improve the law and penalties.
Kwa said there were other new drugs that were not covered by the current laws, therefore, the bureau would need to include those as well. “I am more interested in improving the penalties but more importantly we also want to look at drug rehabilitation,” Kwa said.
“Our focus is on crime prevention, that is getting these drugs off the streets, how to ensure that drugs do not get into the hands of the youth.
“Those are the kind of initiatives that I am looking at. I do not want to look punishments only.”
Kwa said the department was mindful of the drug issue and would work to improve the laws and penalties to manage the problem.
CLRC secretary Michelle Taumpson said consultations on the drug and alcohol law reform was done last year and the final report would be completed and submitted in September.
Taumpson said the report would recommend what laws needed to be changed.
The CLRC did the draft and passed it to the Minister for Justice and Attorney General who would table it at the first legislative council.
She said there were different types of drugs used in the country such as cocaine and medical drugs that doctors used that needed to be covered in the laws.