[Courtesy]The Narcotics, Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) (Amendment) Bill 2020 was passed by the National Assembly during a session of the Committee of the Whole House on May 19, 2021 and is now awaiting President Uhuru Kenyatta's assent to become law. This despite international best practices recommending that such individuals be considered candidates for public health interventions. The Bill does not make adequate provisions to address the public health needs of drug addicts. The proposals that we have made shall have minimal fiscal implications for implementation as the public health component will simply be integrated into the criminal justice system as an alternative to incarceration. However, the inclusion of these aspects as additions rather than alternatives to punishment is counterproductive to public health efforts.

Source: Standard Digital June 16, 2021 06:33 UTC