According to a Ministry of Health official, the Ugandan government intends to raise the drinking age from 18 to 21 to combat addiction.
The Ministry of Health Commissioner for Mental Health, Alcohol and Substance Abuse, Dr Hafsa Lukwata, said at the second National Prefects Conference 2023, an event aimed at crafting measures to combat drug abuse among Ugandan students, "we want to reduce the number of people who are going to buy." We want to raise the legal drinking age from 18 to 21."
According to Lukwata, science has shown that if a person has not used an addictive substance before age 21, their chances of using it later in life are minimized.
She added that Most industries would approach some policymakers who are also drunkards because they consume alcohol to have this changed.
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According to the global health organization's 2023 report, an average Ugandan consumes 12.21 litres of pure alcohol annually. Men consume more than women, with an annual consumption of 19.93 litres of pure alcohol compared to 4.88 litres for women.
Dr Lukwata appeared upset by the study's findings, which placed Uganda at the top of the African continent's alcohol consumption list.
SCP Namutebi Hadijah, Ag Chief Political Commissar Uganda Police Force, who addressed the ceremony, outlined the consequences of drug use.
According to her, most people celebrated when the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act 2015, which restricted the sale and use of various narcotic drugs in the country, was repealed, leading them to believe that narcotics are now allowed. This, she claims, is a legal loophole that is being rectified. She stated that while they wait for stronger legislation, the enforcement agents are now employing old laws to combat the vice.
