Angolan Anti-Drug Association calls for a law against excessive drinking

The president of the Angolan Anti-Drug Association said this Thursday that the consumption of alcoholic beverages by teenagers and young people in the country has increased in recent years, calling for a law aimed at reducing excessive consumption.

According to the head of the National Anti-Drug Association, Claudio Pinto, “every year there is a high level of drug use in Angola”, the main alcoholic beverages are cannabis sativa or liamba and “crack”, including also new drugs such as tembu from the plant, discovered in the province of Cuanza Sul, “a drug of the stimulant category, which also kills many people in the southern region.”

Drugs such as cocaine and crack, according to Claudio Pinto, are used more in the provinces of Luanda, the capital of Angola, Namibe, Huila and Benguela.

With regard to the consumption of alcoholic beverages, the situation is more serious in the provinces of Luanda, Moxico, South Lunda, North Lunda, Cuando Cubango and Benguela, while for traditional alcoholic beverages, the problem occurs in the provinces of Malange, North Cuanza, Bengo, Oue and Kunene.

“There is a high level of consumption of traditional home-made alcoholic beverages, namely capuka, macao, maruvo and other derivatives of various root crops produced in the southern, south-central and northern regions of the country,” he stressed.

Liamba consumption, as indicated by the president of the National Anti-Drug Association, is more prominent in the provinces of Luanda, North Cuanza, Malanje, Houye, South Lunda, North Lunda and Moxico.

Social problems and family breakdown have been cited as the main reasons why people aged 12 to 65, mostly young people, drink alcohol excessively, stressed Claudio Pinto.

The leader of the association stated that “every day in Angola people die due to the use of drugs, mainly alcoholic beverages and liamba, which kill just like malaria in the country.”

For Claudio Pinto, the use of marijuana and alcoholic beverages is a public health issue that civil society and government must “look with eyes to see”.

According to the president of the National Association for the Fight against Drugs, 90 people turn to the services of the Luanda psychiatric hospital every day as a result of excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages,” he stressed.

Claudio Pinto complained about the delay in the approval of the bill on the regime and consumption of alcoholic beverages, presented in 2020 to the National Assembly, so far without scheduling a discussion.

“Interests are in the National Assembly. Who are the owners of large factories for the production of alcoholic beverages, who is a large wholesaler of alcoholic beverages? Many of them are in the National Assembly,” said Claudio Pinto, stressing that he has established contact with the parliamentary groups of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA, in power), the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA, the largest opposition party), the sixth commission of the National Assembly and a group of women parliamentarians, in order to plan the proposal.

“Angola, with about 34 million people, consumes more alcoholic beverages than the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with 80 million people, than South Africa, with 60 million people,” he compared.

The association, founded in 2004 and dedicated to prevention, has registered more than 3,000 people living with drug problems in the country.

“We do what we can (…), but we are an unfunded NGO (…), we don’t care about saving millions. Out of 100 people, if we save one, we already feel satisfied because we don’t have enough facilities to help everyone,” he said, stressing that “the use of alcoholic beverages and cannabis is widespread in the country.”

On June 26, International Anti-Drug Day, the high point of the celebration takes place in Malanje Province, with the first northern regional forum that will bring together the northern provinces of the country, which will bring together representatives of the authorities will participate in the Ministry, focusing on the National Institute of Employment and Professional training, a policy partner for the employment of recovered patients.