BY JARED KOLI
A wounding incident which later resulted in the death of a man at Hatare area in Marau, East Guadalcanal last Saturday is said to have been caused by the suspect having “marijuana intoxication”.
First-hand sources from Marau said that the alleged accused, a 22-year-old man has been a marijuana addict up to the time of the incident.
Sources claimed the suspect consumed marijuana and was intoxicated with the drug, resulting in the death of the deceased, a 40-year-old man.
One source close to witnesses said the deceased walked to One village, where the incident occurred, to purchase Solbako cigarettes on the night of the wounding.
Sources claim that the accused committed his actions without any prior provocation.
“There was no argument, or whatsoever,” said the source.
The deceased was transported to the National Referral Hospital and later died. The suspect has been charged with murder.
Meanwhile, concerned people from Marau are calling for tougher actions to curb drug use, not only in Marau but across the country.
Commenting in the Marau Facebook Forum, ‘Marau Sound Connect’ a Marau man said: “A direct deterrent approach is required to support police to effectively curb this increasing trend of drug abuse cases in the country.”
He adds, “Current legal processes to assist police should be looked at earnestly. Community leaders must be willing to report such cases, and prompt and effective handling of such cases is critical as a way forward.”
Another commentator, a female said, people that sell marijuana and home brewed beer widely known as kwaso must be dealt with accordingly by the full force of the law.
She said people consuming these illegal drugs are a threat to society and urged the police to take tougher actions against them.
An elder from Marau, John Biku said marijuana users are “unreasonably dangerous” and must be prevented at all cost.
“It is like a ticking time bomb that can explode at any time, and I appeal to the police and community leaders to be proactive in dealing with this issue,” Mr Biku said.
