Cocaine

As part of a report on growing drug use in Liberia, a transit point for traffickers carrying their product from South America to Europe and Asia, I interviewed a local drug dealer about cocaine and crack addicts. 

"Actually we've got so many places in Monrovia that people can take drugs in. We've got Beaumont Village, we've got West Point, we've got Gurley Street, Bushrod Island. They are the main places that they sell drugs. The people who are always taking the drugs, they are many. They take the coke and the crack. When they take it, they do so many things that they get trapped. They forget about their thinking, their senses. Some of them dry, some of them dirty in the street. Some of them stealing, some of them causing a lot of problems in the city. If they have 200 LD, they don't want to buy nothing at all, only the crack. Only the crack that they focus on. They got 200 dollars liberty, they will go use it, they'll spend it on drugs. They're no money but they have to use again. So they go back on the streets to go look for money. When they come back they get on the same habit. The young girls are also taking it with the men. When they're taking the cocaine, they do many things. Some of them, they go sell themselves for a little bit of money. Some of them, they don't got nothing to do at all. You see them, they wear worn clothes over and over. There is no taking bath, there is no changing clothes. Only to smoke crack. The whites also they smoke it but when they smoke it, you don't know, except they tell you. That's the only time you know that they taking crack. They can buy crack and they can buy food. But the blacks, it's not good for us. When you focus on something you'll never do it because you're smoking crack. And when they're doing it, there's no respect again in the country. The whole country lose. You lay something down, they pick it up and you'll never see it again. They go sell it for a little money. We got crack for 20 USD, 50 USD. All depend on the quality that you need. Right now I got more people that are doing it. But some of them that are doing it, they're out of track, which is they're not focusing to do anything in their life. They just want to be on coke. And you can't live that way. When you take it in, that's what can make you forget about your mind. When you see some of them, you will feel hurt for them and you will feel sorry for them. Some people, they've got their last money to buy food, they take it and go buy crack. Most of the young young boys and the young young girls, they just dirty. There's nowhere to change, nowhere to take bath. Nowhere to go. Whole day in the drugs room. From the drugs room, up Broad Street, load car, take 150, they go right back in the room. When you see them, you'll feel sorry, but you'll pass by on the other side of the road, for you don't want to see them. That's some of the problem that we got in the city right now. So we're trying to ask government for government to make it leave the whole country. Decent person from home, that married also, come and take it from them. They go back. Sometimes the dealer go on the highway and sell. Some of the white people, they also take the coke. The black when they take it in, the more they will be stupid. I know every day I've got to take bath. But if when I smoke the crack, I will never take bath for one month, two months, three months. But some of them you go give them water, it'll just go in vain. They will waste it right on your floor and they'll go about their business. That's some of the problem we having right now with the young that are coming up."