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{
    "id": 382143,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/382143/?format=api",
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Drugs are very harmful to our bodies. We read in the media sometimes back where people drunk alcohol and went blind. In fact, in some cases, most of them died. Unfortunately, you will find the same people still want to drink. Why? May be it is because they are stressed or depressed. Unless we know the cause of this problem, it is difficult to declare drug abuse and alcoholism a disaster. Drug abuse and alcoholism are linked to crime. People want to get rich and when they do not have money, they look for it. One way they get this is through burglary or killing like it is happening in some counties like Busia, Bungoma, Trans Nzoia, Mandera and so on. People are being used to kill. They are given money, then they take some drugs or alcohol so that they are not in their senses when carrying out the crime. Mr. Speaker, Sir, regarding rehabilitation, you will find that rehabilitating someone who is taking drugs, it is very expensive. There are a few clinics where you can take your person and this is very expensive. Sometimes, families are forced to take their people to Mathari Hospital which is also very far from the counties. Therefore, I am suggesting that we establish rehabilitation centres in every county so that it is easier to rehabilitate our youths. We are saying here that we declare drug abuse and alcohol as a national disaster but how do we deal with the problem of those who are already addicted to drugs? Mr. Speaker, Sir I have talked about the link between drugs and alcohol. Recently, there was as a story in the newspapers where a lady’s drink was laced in a bar and she found herself in a strange place and she had been raped. She went to the police to report the next morning about the rape but she was told that they will investigate. This is not helping our ladies. This is gender because it affects gender. A woman is raped and in distress but when she goes to the authorities, she is told to wait for investigation. After that, the lady will go home but what happens next? The Government needs to take stern action by looking for the drug barons who want to grow rich overnight. We know them, they can even be among us. They are the people killing our youths and I think we need to create that awareness among people so that if you know someone who is dealing with drugs, you should inform the authorities through a hotline without identifying yourself because if you do, you will find yourself dead or in a catch 22 situation. Mr. Speaker, Sir, people also use drugs as a pastime or stress reliever. At the county level, you will find a man whose family does not have food. So, for a man to go home, he should have food. If there is no money, the man goes to drink so that when he goes home and the wife confronts him, he goes down on the chair to look drunk. The cost of living out there is very high and it is not helping families. Families are hurting and we should not be living in denial. I personally know a family which has been affected because of drugs. Most of the time people are found to be sick because the liver is affected and advised to stop drinking but unfortunately the person is usually addicted. So, I just want to urge our Government to get to the root cause of why people take drugs and alcohol because that is where the problem is. We can condemn it today but unless we solve the problem of unemployment and make sure that we are not taxing bread and milk, things which are important to the families, you will find that the heads of families are resorting to drink because they cannot face their families. With those few remarks, I stand to support and hope that--- The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}