If you are looking to get knocked out after a big puff from the dried leafy roll, that is a direct booking into the coolers of the prison Gates-Rwanda’s new anti-narcotics penalties suggest.
While on Rwandan soil, smoking marijuana (‘weed’) sniffing on Heroin and Cocaine are equivalent to other serious crimes that will earn you some period of time in prison including heavy cash fine.
For consuming strong drugs and narcotics especially Heroine, cocaine, marijuana and mugo, culprits risk two years in prison with community service as an equal level alternative plus with a cash fine worth between three million Rwandan francs FRW 3,000,000 Million to five million Rwandan francs FRW 5,000,000 Million according to Rwanda’s penal code.
Then consuming the common sachet liquors and spirits mostly smuggled into the country from neighboring Uganda, culprits risk a prison sentence of the same sentence.
Sachet liquor is packaged in brands such as Zebra, Suzie,Kitoko, coffee spirit, Simba waragi, including other locally produced alcoholic beverages such as Umugorigori, Muriture, Umunanasi,Nyirantare.
Also in this last category includes sniffing on petrol and glue mostly common among street kids and other idlers.
Most of these new tight penalties against drug abuse and consumption of illicit substances is in tandem with President Paul Kagame call for a sober population with the right kind of values they need in order to develop and protect their country.
Through the civic education program (Itorero), Kagame says it via this platform that citizens would learn the values to put their education to use.
“We can’t just be stopping at making bread. We have to aim higher. Cars, phones, electronics should not only be manufactured by others. We are all capable of doing it,” he said previously.
“Being educated is not enough, you must have discipline and values” Kagame told 698 youth during a pass out ceremony after completing civic education training at Gabiro Combat Training Centre in Gatsibo District, Eastern Province.
Kagame has maintained a tough stance against drug abuse and consumption of narcotics which have devastating effects on the citizens.
Rwanda is now among destinations that have implemented the tobacco control law in line with the World Health Organisation (WHO) framework.
Effective December 15, 2017, the government of Rwanda also banned advertisement, and import of water-pipe tobacco smoking known as shisha tobacco
The Express News
