Authorities at the Ministry of Health, which chairs government’s multi-sectoral committee on drug and substance abuse, has announced additional steps to combat the ‘proliferation of illicit drugs,’ considered ‘national emergency.’ Malaya Tomakio, Deputy Information Minister for Policy, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, said, the government is moving to roll out strategies in a direction to stop selling the illegal substance. Tomakio made the disclosure on Thursday, August 28, 2025, at the Ministry of Information regular press briefing in Monrovia. The strategies, Tomakio said, are aimed at finding solutions to curb the growing epidemic of drug and substance abuse. He said the President decision to establish the high-level committee underscores the urgency of the crisis for which, several ministries and agencies are now collaborating under the framework. The ministries and agencies include Justice, Youth and Sports, Education, Gender, Children and Social Protection, the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA), and the Liberia National Police. Mr. Tomakio said, the committee recently concluded a two-day working session to finalize the National Anti-Drug Action Plan, which will soon be validated and made public. The plan emphasizes both supply and demand reduction, while expanding nationwide rehabilitation efforts. “We have been collaborating with private partners and rehabilitation centers,” Tomakio said. He added: “The government is working to ensure that disadvantaged youth struggling with addiction are not left behind.” Already, the ministry has established a temporary holding center in Johnsonville, where more than 150 people (105 men and 50 women), are undergoing detoxification, counseling and basic medical treatment. Still, Tomakio cautioned that recovery is neither quick nor easy. “Rehabilitation is a process. It requires willingness, counseling, and patience. We cannot force anyone into treatment,” he explained. Plans are underway for a permanent rehabilitation facility, while the Ministry continues to partner with Lady of Light Rehabilitation Services, which has assisted more than 600 disadvantaged youth (zogos) to date. Outpatient treatment is being offered for mild cases, while severe cases are managed at a dedicated center on the Roberts International Airport (RIA) Highway. He said, all treatments are ‘free of charge,’ and delivered by a multi-disciplinary team, including doctors, nurses, psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, and even recovered drug users now serving as peer counselors. In addition to the treatments, community involvement has been placed at the heart of the campaign. The government, therefore, has created 15-member Anti-Drug Action Teams in every community, bringing together local authorities, civil society actors, law enforcement officers and community leaders. “This is everybody’s business,” Tomakio said: “We all have a role to play in saving the future of our youth.” The Ministry of Health has meanwhile, pledged to provide regular public updates as the committee intensifies efforts to address country’s worsening drug crisis.