By Staff Reporter
PRESIDENTIAL spokesperson George Charamba has warned that the government is preparing to introduce harsh measures to curb drug abuse, cautioning that those involved in selling or using illicit substances should brace for “very ugly” consequences.
This comes at a time when Zimbabwe is grappling with an alarming rise in drug and substance abuse cases, particularly among young people.
Posting on one of his X handles under the pseudonym Jamwanda, Charamba wrote, “Guys get warned: We are contemplating very ugly measures for those involved in peddling or consuming drugs.
“It is going to be really ugly.”
With the high rates of unemployment among the youth in Zimbabwe, many have turned to harmful drug use, often with minimal chances of full recovery.
Some of the most potent drugs abused by young people are homemade mixtures, including substances like sodium polyacrylate, commonly known as waterlock, which are produced in backyards.
Sodium polyacrylate is an absorbent for urine in diapers and is also found in some detergents.
Drug dealers are reportedly taking advantage of the country’s porous borders to smuggle in drugs such as crystal meth, heroin, cocaine and cough mixtures like Broncleer, fueling the rapidly expanding drug market.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa last year launched a multi-sectoral drug and substance abuse plan to fight the scourge.