MONROVIA โ The House of Representatives (HOR) has instructed its joint committee on Health and Commerce to review and report within two weeks on two significant international instruments submitted for ratification.
The proposed instruments, presented by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr., include the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products and the Convention on Psychotropic Substances, 1971.
Liberia became a signatory to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) on June 25, 2004, and ratified it on September 15, 2009.
However, the country has yet to ratify the specific protocol aimed at eliminating illicit trade in tobacco products.
The Protocol seeks to curb illegal sales of tobacco, which make products more accessible and affordable, undermining government tobacco control policies, reducing revenue, and enabling criminal activities such as terrorist financing.
The Convention on Psychotropic Substances, 1971, was signed by Liberia on February 21, 1971, but remains unratified. The Convention calls on state parties to restrict the use of psychotropic substances strictly to medical and scientific purposes while ensuring their availability for such uses.
This treaty complements other major international agreements, including the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961 (as amended in 1972) and the United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, 1988, both of which Liberia has already ratified.
The pending ratification of the Convention on Psychotropic Substances, 1971, is the final step in aligning Liberiaโs legal framework with international drug control standards.
Following President Boakaiโs submission, the House of Representatives took the decision during the 9th Day Sitting of the 2nd Quarter of the 2nd Session of the Honorable House of Representatives of the 55th Legislature of the Republic of Liberia on Tuesday, June 10, 2025.
