African Expert Calls for Overhaul of Continent's Drug Policies
Agwogie highlighted significant barriers to harm reduction in Africa, including government resistance, faith-based opposition, and persistent stigma.
NAIROBI, Kenya— A leading African substance abuse expert has called for comprehensive policy changes to address drug use, arguing that harm reduction strategies offer a more effective approach than traditional criminalisation, writes Winston Mwale.
Dr. Martin O. Agwogie, founder of the Global Initiative on Substance Abuse, told international experts at the 4th Harm Reduction Exchange Tuesday that current African drug policies fail to address the complex nature of substance use disorders.
Harm reduction, a global approach that emerged in the 1970s and endorsed by the World Health Organization in the 1980s, seeks to minimize health and social risks without requiring users to stop drug consumption entirely.
"Total prohibition and criminalization of drug use have failed to yield the expected outcomes," Agwogie told attendees. He outlined six key principles: humanism, pragmatism, individualism, autonomy, incrementalism, and accountability.
The approach includes strategies such as:
* Needle and syringe exchange programs
* Opioid substitution treatment
* Drug consumption rooms
* Naloxone overdose reversal
* Nicotine replacement therapy
Agwogie highlighted significant barriers to harm reduction in Africa, including government resistance, faith-based opposition, and persistent stigma.
He noted that in many African countries, essential medications for opioid substitution therapy are not included in national medical lists.
Comparing regional approaches, Agwogie pointed to variations in harm reduction conceptualization.
In South Africa, the approach is narrowly defined as limiting damage from substance use, while Nigeria has yet to amend drug policies to incorporate harm reduction strategies.
Over 100 countries have adopted at least one harm reduction strategy, contrasting with Africa's predominantly punitive approach.
Agwogie argued that the method helps users maintain family and workplace connections while reducing healthcare and policing costs.
"For effective and sustainable harm reduction practices, there is a need to focus not only on individual behavior but also on the physical and social space in which substance use occurs," he said.
The expert called for developing national drug policies that prioritize public health over criminalization, emphasizing the importance of understanding substance use disorders as complex health issues.