Bunge calls for drastic measures against NPS use
THE National Assembly yesterday reached a resolution that, among other issues, calls upon the government to make deliberate efforts to address the surge in use of New Psychoactive Substance (NPS) in the country.
The MPs came up with the resolution after deliberating on the 2024 Report tabled by the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Governance, Constitution and Legal Affairs, Dr Joseph Mhagama.
The report covered various activities performed between February 2024 and January 2025 by the Ministry of State in the President’s Office (Public Service Management and Good Governance), Ministry of State in the President’s Office (Planning and Investment), Ministry of State in the Vice President’s Office (Union and Environment), Ministry of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (Policy, Parliament and Coordination) and the Ministry of Constitution and Legal Affairs.
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), a New Psychoactive Substance (NPS) is a substance of abuse, either in a pure form or a preparation, that is not controlled by the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs or the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, but which may pose a public health threat”.
The main structural groups of NPS are aminoindanes, benzodiazepines, fentanyl analogues, lysergamides, nitazenes, phencyclidine-type substances, phenethylamines, phenidates, phenmetrazines, piperazines, plant-based substances, synthetic cannabinoids, synthetic cathinones, tryptamines and other substances.
The UNODC says in its website that since NPS are not controlled under the International Drug Control Conventions, their legal status can differ widely from country to country.
Up to October 2024, at least 65 countries and territories had implemented legal responses to control NPS, with many having used or amended existing legislations and others having used innovative legal instruments.
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In the resolution adopted yesterday by the Parliament, the MPs asked the government to educate the public on the health effects of the new type of drugs (NPS), since they are 50-100 times stronger than other narcotics controlled under international conventions.
The rapid emergence of a large number of NPS on the global drug market poses a significant risk to public health and a challenge to drug policy.
It is stated that little is known about the adverse health effects and social harms of NPS, which pose a considerable challenge for prevention and treatment.
In the resolution, the Parliament asked the Drug Control and Enforcement Authority (DCEA) to work together with the Tanzania Medicines & Medical Devices Authority (TMDA) and the Medical Store Department (MSD) in containing the problem.
The MPs also asked relevant authorities, including DCEA to step up security at all entry points to ensure narcotics don’t find a way into the Tanzanian market, with modern scanners being used in the fight.
Furthermore, the House directed the government to increase allocation of funds for DCEA to enable the authority build more sober houses at regional level.
Speaking on war against precursor chemicals, it was stated in the Parliament that in 2023, DCEA seized a total of 157, 738.55 kilogrammes of the chemicals, with 22, 682 litres of the same substances confiscated from January to September 2024.
Precursor chemicals are substances that are used to make other compounds, including illicit drugs, medicines, flavourings and fragrances.
