WALVIS BAY – A handful of residents from Walvis Bay and Swakopmund yesterday took to the streets to voice their opinion against any plans to legalise marijuana in the country. 

The handful of protestors handed a petition to the Walvis Bay Urban constituency office as well as the governor’s office in which they challenged the recent march by Ganja Users of Namibia (GUN) that advocates the legalisation of marijuana.
Speaking on behalf of concerned residents at Walvis Bay, Pastor Pieter Nalyeende said government should not legalise marijuana or any other drug because the drug will cause more havoc, as it will become freely available and accessible. “We plead with the government and lawmakers that they should not be driven by some vague elements who only want to have marijuana legalised at the cost of all Namibians,” he said.

He explained that drugs, in particular marijuana has caused misery in many households and resulted in unemployment and domestic violence due to drug addiction.

“Innocent children became victims of drugs, families were destroyed and many find themselves in prison today due to theft to support their addiction. Many of our children have dropped out of school due to drug abuse,” said the man of the cloth.
He said should marijuana be legalised, the social well-being of the entire country and future generations will be at stake.
“Prevention is better and this ill-informed group of people must be stopped before it’s too late,” he said.

Ironically, the Namibian police in the last seven months confiscated N$27.5 million worth of drugs in the country.  Statistics released last month also indicate that marijuana is the most preferred illegal drug in Namibia.  In April alone 531 kilogrammes of marijuana with a street value of N$5.3 million were seized by the police. Swapo Party Elders’ Council (SPEC) has also spoken out against legalising marijuana, saying Namibia should not follow in the steps of countries that have done so, such as South Africa, as this could further erode the delicate social fabric.