Legal action for failure to cooperate with drug rehabilitation

Efforts have commenced to take legal action against individuals who fail to cooperate in drug rehabilitation efforts.

National Drug Agency (NDA) and Drug Court launched discussions on legal action against individuals who fail to cooperate in drug rehabilitation efforts and strengthen the drug rehabilitation system in the Maldives on October 17th.

As per the Home Ministry, both authorities resolved to take legal action against individuals who fail to cooperate in drug rehabilitation efforts and strengthen the drug rehabilitation system during these discussions.

NDA’s acting CEO Mohamed Rashid said the Agency, in collaboration with Maldives Police Service, is undertaking efforts to remove individuals who are not cooperating with drug rehabilitation efforts from the streets. Henceforth, he appealed for cooperation from such individuals in these efforts, at the least.

“We will no longer allow for the opportunity to remain in the street without going for rehabilitation and serving the sentence. There are over 200 people that need to undergo rehabilitation. They include individuals who are in various states. Some of them have been sentenced to community (service) as well,” he said.

Rashid underscored NDA’s biggest focus as identifying individuals who are not in the agency’s system and entering them into the system to begin their rehabilitation efforts; a work which he detailed is carried out under specified policies.

While has NDA commenced efforts to take legal action against individuals who are not cooperative after commencing drug rehabilitation – the government is presently working on developing rehabilitation centers at three Maldivian regions; K. Kaashidhoo, N. Velidhoo and Laamu Atoll.

Home Ministry also noted that NDA has executed an MoU with Malaysia’s Solace Asia CDN BHD to pave the way for individuals who want to undergo drug rehabilitation abroad. As such, the center is NDA-approved.

According to the government, NDA, as part of expanding its remand center services, has made arrangements to provide services undertaken at its remand centers at its residential care centers across the country.