Pubdate: Wed, 07 Jan 2009 Source: Monitor, The (Uganda) Copyright: 2009 The Monitor. Contact: http://www.monitor.co.ug/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2934 Authors: Sam Lawino, and Paul Amoru Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis) MARIJUANA BUSINESS HITS IDPS IN NORTHERN UGANDA The growing of the weed is threatening to break down the relative peace among the communities of the returning internally displaced people in northern Uganda. Sam Lawino and Paul Amoru write about the lucrative trade that is fuelling the growing of marijuana People in the Acholi sub-region are cutting their New Year celebrations short, to worry about the news of a rising marijuana business in the region. The news of many people, most of whom are former displaced persons, getting involved in the growing smoking of the deadly weed only serve to add salt in the wound as the population is already worried about the direction the Juba Peace process has taken. Daily Monitor has established that marijuana smokers are becoming a headache to former Internally Displaced Persons who had returned to resettle at their ancestral homes following a lull of peace in the region. The development is already threatening the life and safety of former IDPs and is blamed on the rising demand of the weed by business people in Gulu town and other towns across the region. Last Saturday, angry communities of Bulku, (Omel Apem) in Paicho sub- County, which is approximately 24 kilometres west of Gulu town, nabbed a marijuana smoker while he took a nap and handed him to police. But the suspect allegedly escaped from police and is said to be in hiding. The man identified as Esau Ojara was arrested after he destroyed his father's house and drove his family members out of their home with a matchete, the local LC I chairman of Omel A sub-ward, Mr Christopher Ongom said. "Our people are losing their patience having complained to the authorities several times about these men who are disturbing the peace and security of the community, especially of their women and children," Mr Ongom said. He alleged that Ojara had sold two basins of marijuana to some Gulu town buyers but did not identify the people involved. According to the LCI chairman, Ojara's colleague identified as Mr Otto Tobi Lalugulugu has harvested a granary full of marijuana for sale illegally. "The men returned in 2007 from Tegot Atoo Hill and Cwero internally displaced people's camps back to their village ahead of the rest of the communities and began growing the narcotic drug," Ongom explained. Bulku is a remote village formerly infested with the rebels of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in the late 1996 to 2004. One Agnes Alican, a resident of Bulku in Omel Apem village said that people around the village had developed fears and could not carry on with their normal daily activities in their gardens and homes fearing attacks by the ganja men. "We are living in fear because these men will not spare you after they smoke the jai (marijuana) and they are very dangerous," Ms Alican said. Marijuana is a narcotic drug and if taken for days can cause mental illness or madness according to health experts. Gulu Referral Hospital acting coordinator of Trans cultural psychosocial organisation John Van Okwir said that psychosis, a state of mental illness can be as a result of drug abuse. He said that taking substances like alcohol and marijuana were the factors leading to increased mental sickness alongside neurological disorder in the Acholi sub-region. Mr Okwir explained that neurological disorder which relates to epileptic condition, depression, and mania and post traumatic conditions has registered 70 per cent of mental sickness in the hospital records. "Patients with psychosis and neurosis are those related to taking drugs, marijuana and alcohols abuses and these are very rampant amongst the youth," he added. Sergeant Ocaya Will, a police detective familiar with the problem could not be reached for comment but a well placed police source said that about 40 narcotic cases were recorded in Gulu alone last year. "We are still compiling the figure but it's less than 40 in number for the year 2008. Some of those arrested have since been prosecuted," the source said. He said the business was booming across neighbouring Kenya as dealers move with it in their jackets and sell it to the Kenyan markets at lucrative prices. The source revealed that a handful of marijuana fetches between Shs3,000 and Shs15,000 in illegal markets around Gulu town. Police spokesman for Northern Uganda Johnson Kilama identified places such as Lagoon in Laroo Division and Aywe- Layibi in Pece Division Gulu Municipality as the common places where marijuana smokers hide. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom