Parliament has passed the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Bill, 2023 at the third reading.
The Bill which was jointly processed by the Committee on Defence & Internal Affairs and Committee on Health, will address the misuse of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances by imposing punitive measures on drug abusers, among others.
MPs on Tuesday finally passed the bill during plenary sitting chaired by Deputy Speaker, Thomas Tayebwa after a three day debate on the bills committee stage.
Among the clauses that proved contentious include the fourth schedule of the bill which outlined khat (miraa), also known as mairunji as one of the prohibited drugs or plants.
Many MPs in Buganda sub region where miraa is widely grown opposed the prohibition of the stimulant saying it is only affecting less than 2.1% of the over 7,000 mental patients admitted in Butabika Hospital.
Hon. Dr. Timothy Batuwa (Jinja South Division West) sought to recommit the Fourth Schedule of the Narcotics Drugs Bill to remove khat from the list of prohibited drugs. He said it is against the spirit of promoting local content.
“In the local content bill, we prioritized the procurement of goods in East Africa. It is that consistency that I want to discuss in this law; the product we call khat is a product that is recreational in nature,” he said.
Hon. Laura Kanushu (PWD Rep.) said Khat has adverse effects on mental health and therefore, should be regulated. The House rejected the proposal to exclude khat as a prohibited plant, with Tayebwa saying that the Bill could be weakened in the spirit of accommodating Khat.
Clause 53 of the Bill will give the Minister authority to establish treatment and rehabilitation centers, other than the Butabika National Mental Referral Hospital.
According to Tayebwa, the bill will bolster efforts against the supply and use of illicit drugs and substances in the country. Out of the 7,035 patients admitted in 2022, 25% were due to alcohol and drug abuse.
Government reintroduced the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Bill of 2023. This followed the nullification of the 2015 Act by the Constitutional Court over lack of quorum.
