"I WILL VOTE AGAINST DRUG DECRIMINALIZATION BILL" - MP

Yaw Owusu Boateng

By Bright dzakah

The Member of Parliament for Asene/Akroso/Manso constituency Yaw Owusu Boateng has mounted a stiff opposition to an attempt by Parliament to pass a bill that seeks to decriminalized drug use and addictions. 

According to him, decriminalizing drug use in the country will spell doom for the future of the youth.

Asene/Akroso/Manso MP is of the view that, even currently that usage and possession of some hard drugs are unlawful and punishable by law, abuse of it is on the high side, therefore should the country allows the Bill to be passed into law decriminalizing drug use will mean more youths can freely and openly engage on the use of hard drugs and even abuse same.

He noted that “the attempt to decriminalized drug use and addiction is obviously attempt to give up on the fight against hard drugs. I do not support such move at all, let us not compare ourselves to other countries, how is the situation now and what are we doing about it, it will be sad to see more youths smoking indiscriminately in public”.

The Narcotic Control Commission Bill, 2015, went through second reading in Parliament on Monday and contained in the Bill is a proposal to decriminalized drug use and addiction. As a result, drug use and addiction would no longer be punishable offence. Deputy Minister of Interior James Agalga who moved the motion was quoted as saying “drug addiction would be treated as a health issue and offenders would be taken to correctional facilities for assistance”.

But Yaw Owusu Boateng, Member of Parliament for Asene/Akroso/Manso said he will vote against the Bill even if his leader Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu call for its support. He insisted that nothing will compel him to contribute to the passage of a Bill he described as ‘dangerous’. “I will not vote for the passage because it is not a good Bill, we cannot put our country in danger. And even if my leader in the House compel me, I won’t vote for it, I will vote against it” he told Bright Kwesi Asempa on Onua Fm Morning show.

He called on fellow Members of the August House to consider the future of the youth and the country at large before passing the Narcotic Control Commission Bill, 2015 into law. Asking for total rejection of the Bill as that will not be a good option for the country.

Women Are Finally Equal To Men... In Alcohol Consumption At Least

The gender gap in alcohol consumption has almost vanished, according to a new study, which says women are binge drinking nearly as much as men due to a booming ‘wine o’clock’ culture.

The research looks at the convergence of drinking habits between men and women over time from 1891 to 2014. It pools the results of 68 international studies published since 1980 to look at the changing ratio of male to female drinking.

It says young men born between 1991 and 2001 are just 1.1 times more likely to drink at all than women of the same age. That can be compared to men who were born between 1981 and 1910 who were 2.2 times more likely to drink than women.

The research, published in the medical journal BMJ Open, also found men born in the early 1900s were three times as likely to drink to problematic levels, and are now just 1.2 times as likely to binge drink.

The trend is partly driven by the decline of the male-dominated pub, researchers say. Those who have succeeded in obtaining jobs that were once reserved for men may have also found it necessary to become part of the after-work drinking culture.

Images of celebrities enjoying themselves on nights out have also helped remove some of the stigma attached to drinking by women. Some of the drinks now available have been targeted at young women who ‘pre-load’ while getting ready to go out.

The UK’s ‘wine o’clock’ culture, in which women regularly drink at home, consuming cheap alcohol bought from supermarkets, has also contributed to the increase.

The change is also partly the result of successful marketing campaigns and the creation of sweeter products aimed at young women or girls, as well as cuts in price.

Researchers say women are now causing increasing amounts of damage to their health as a result.

“Alcohol use and alcohol use disorders have historically been viewed as a male phenomenon,” the authors say.

"The present study calls this assumption into question and suggests that young women in particular should be the target of concerted efforts to reduce the impact of substance abuse and related harms.”

Women’s bodies do not tolerate alcohol as well as men’s because they have a higher fat-to-water ratio, meaning the alcohol in their systems remains more concentrated.

Women also have smaller livers than men, making it harder to process alcohol safely.