Toughen laws on drugs

Letters

AMONG other different dangerous drugs around the world such as cocaine and methamphetamine, marijuana is one of the dangerous drugs that is common in PNG.
It causes permanent brain damage.
Most of the law and order problems in PNG societies are caused by the drug addicts.
Police are doing their best to stop the production and consumption of marijuana.
But it is getting out of hand.
Almost 50 per cent of the youths around the country are becoming drug addicts for different reasons.
In countries such as Philippines and Indonesia they use very tough measures to deal with drug lords.
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte gave ‘shoot to kill’ orders to the police to execute drug lords in his country.
As a result, the police have killed thousands of drug lords and drug addicts and the government has managed to control the drug issue.
In Indonesia, the maximum penalty for drug is death.
It is a different case in PNG.
You will be surprised to see drug lords, drug smugglers and drug addicts with hard evidence go to jail and come out within days, weeks, months or a year with very light bail conditions.
People are selling and smoking marijuana in public places as if it is legal.
This portrays that our drug laws are very weak and need urgent review. The government should send people who cultivate marijuana to death penalty, drug smugglers to life imprisonment and at least 10 to 20 years for drug users.
The government should give ultimate power to the police to execute shoot to kill orders if they resist arrest. We cannot sit and watch the country suffer the effects of this weed.

Wel Temai,
Kundiawa