By Fatou Sillah
The government does not intend to remove marijuana from the list of hard drugs, the interior minister told lawmakers on Wednesday, signaling that officials will maintain the country’s current classification of cannabis even as they pursue broader reforms to drug legislation.
Appearing before the National Assembly of The Gambia for an oral question-and-answer session, the interior minister, Abdoulie Sanyang, responded tersely when asked whether the government planned to declassify cannabis sativa as a hard drug.
“No,” he said, in reply to a question from a lawmaker representing Central Badibou.
The minister’s comments came amid parliamentary scrutiny of the country’s drug policies and enforcement regime. While ruling out any change to marijuana’s legal status, Mr. Sanyang said the government was reviewing existing legislation to strengthen its response to trafficking and substance abuse.
He said an overhaul of the Drug Control Act 2023 was underway, with a draft already prepared and submitted to the Ministry of Justice for legal review and refinement.
“The government recognizes the need to strengthen our legal framework to effectively address the evolving challenges posed by drug trafficking, abuse, and related offences,” Mr. Sanyang said.
Once enacted, he added, the revised law would improve the country’s ability to respond to emerging trends in drug trafficking and abuse, reinforcing enforcement mechanisms and closing legal gaps identified under the current statute. “Once the bill is ready and passed, it will enhance effectiveness in our response to the emerging trend in drug trafficking and abuse,” he said.
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