By Albert Akota
Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, Mr Tony Ojukwu has said that drug control laws and policies must mainstream human rights and be treated as a public health issue.
Mr Ojukwu said this in Abuja while declaring opened the 2018 Nigeria Drug Policy Summit aimed at improving Nigeria Drug Control System through sustainable policy reform and effective implementation.
Mr Ojukwu who was represented at the occasion by the Director Human Rights Education and Promotion, Mr Muhammad Nasiru Ladan noted that criminalizing drug use is counterproductive.
According to him, rehabilitation of victims rather than punishments or stigmatization could assist in reducing drug abuse and illicit drug trafficking among youths.
The Nigeria Drug Policy Summit 2018 is organized by West African Drug Policy Network in collaboration with Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA),Initiative for West Africa Civil Society Institute(WACSI) and the National Human Rights Commission.
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