Law review needed to tackle drug problem

ALMOST every day police in the country are arresting people either for growing, harvesting or being in procession of marijuana.
Marijuana, or cannabis, is the most commonly used illicit drug in Papua New Guinea.
All good for the arrest, but the concern now is that PNG does not have tough laws for the offenders.
Police currently use the Drug Act 1954 which has a maximum jail term of only two years. That is only a slap-on-the-wrist jail term compared to Indonesia, our closest neighbour. We are poles apart with Indonesia when it comes to penalties for drug offending.
Across the border, a drug offender of the worst sort faces death.
That is the grim contrast.
The soft penalties are definitely in no way a deterrent to those involved in what many say is a lucrative business. Drug-related offences in the country, especially on marijuana trafficking, has increased so much that police are now calling for a review of the Drug Act to bring about tougher penalties. There is also an urgent need to properly fund the drug unit so its officers can conduct their duties swiftly and professionally.
There must be a collaborative effort in dealing with the drug issue, from the police to partners in the private sectors and the community.
Despite knowing it is an illegal drug, people continue to cultivate it secretly for commercial purposes.
People say it is the role of police to provide security and make our communities safe, but we must remember it is also our duty to assist.
Recent media reports have seen police requesting information from the public so they can execute arrest warrants. Marijuana is largely grown in the mountainous Highlands regions, particularly in the drier areas where marijuana is said to produce a more powerful drug.
Wikipedia says cannabis is believed to have been introduced to PNG by Australian and American expatriates in the 1960s and 1970s. The habit spread to locals,
and by the 1980s cannabis was available in the major cities.
Police say that in Port Moresby and Central alone, marijuana is transported in and out of the two provinces undetected on a daily basis. In other centres like Kimbe, marijuana is packed and flown into the province by plane from the Highlands. In Morobe and Madang, the drug is transported by road into the province.
Police cannot be everywhere to provide security and be watchdogs because they need information to do that.
Police cannot act on guesswork as people’s rights to privacy is also taken into consideration.
So it is important for people to report information relating to the abuse of drug, not only for the police to do their job, but to keep one’s safety secured as drugs can cause social and health issues as well.
We back the call from the officer in-charge of the National Drug and Vice Squad Office for a review of the penalties.
The Act carries only four offences of cultivating, harvesting, in pocession and making marijuana.
The Act should be amended so the authorities have ammunition to penalise not only the marijuana dealers but also those who want to try their hand on morphine, cocaine or ice.
The Drug Act 1954 only allows the maximum penalty of two years imprisonment and the minimum could be a fine.
With trade and business agreements between PNG and Indonesia already in place, it would not hurt if we were to ask Indonesia for guidance to see if we can incorporate some of their penalties into our law.