No Real Resolve: Boakai’s Anti-Drug Effort Appears More Optics-Focused Than Results-Targeted

Michael T
Aug 8, 2025
2 min read

IN PHOTO: President Boakai and some scenes of the August 7, 2025 "anti-drugs march".

Liberia’s drug abuse epidemic has only deepened in the wake of President Joseph Boakai’s 2024 declaration of drug abuse as a “national health emergency.” From the political promises of his first State of the Nation address to mounting protests in August 2025, Boakai’s administration has spent two years bragging about ambitious reforms—yet the national struggle against drugs remains profoundly stuck in reverse gear.

Boakai’s flagship “Kush Must Go” initiative has been more of a charade—a pocket change channel for people in the President’s circle, critics say. Despite a 114% increase in the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) budget since 2023, the Agency reportedly remains a partner to drug cartels and only busts traffickers who refuse to cooperate. Over $2million has been allotted in the country's last 2 budget years for the “Kush Must Go” campaign, at-risk youth initiatives, and rehabilitation center, but there’s no detailed or transparent report on how these funds are being used.

Faced with growing protests and widespread disillusionment, the administration keeps citing “legacy issues” inherited from the previous government. However, after two years, the only clear legacy is Liberia’s eroding faith in official solutions—and a drug crisis now spiraling out of control.

While President Boakai vows, “Liberia will not lose another generation to drugs, not on my watch,” the facts on the ground point to a chillingly different reality: the fight against addiction is all optics and little action, as a nation’s future slips through the cracks.

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