(Monrovia, Liberia, November 4, 2026)—The Ministry of Health (MOH), in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the United States Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), on Wednesday officially launched Liberia’s first National Survey on Psychoactive Substance Use to generate reliable data and strengthen the country’s response to drug and substance abuse.

The survey is expected to provide comprehensive information on the prevalence, patterns, and factors contributing to psychoactive substance use across Liberia’s 15 political subdivisions, helping policymakers develop evidence-based prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation programs.

Declaring the survey officially launched, Dr. Catherine Thomas Cooper, Chief Medical Officer of the Republic of Liberia, called for collective efforts to ensure the successful implementation of the initiative.

“On behalf of the Government of Liberia, I want to declare the launch of the survey,” Dr. Cooper stated.

Speaking at the ceremony, Dr. Moses Ziah II, Director of Mental Health at the Ministry of Health, described the initiative as a historic milestone in Liberia’s efforts to address substance abuse.

Dr. Ziah noted that the country had long struggled to conduct comprehensive national research, resulting in policies and interventions often being developed without sufficient locally generated evidence.

“It is usually the story in Liberia, that we only talk, but we do not write, we do not research, and all our information is based on estimates and opinions,” he said.

He explained that the Mental Health Unit had consistently advocated for resources and partnerships to conduct a national study that would guide interventions, programs, and policy decisions relating to mental health and substance use.

Although the process had been challenging because of the substantial financial resources required for research, Dr. Ziah expressed appreciation to the United States Government, through INL, UNODC, and other partners for supporting the initiative.

Also speaking, Sally Schlegel, Director of the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) at the United States Embassy in Liberia, reaffirmed the U.S. Government’s commitment to supporting Liberia’s efforts to prevent substance use and strengthen treatment services.

She disclosed that the U.S. Department of State, through INL, had provided funding for a three-year program that began in 2024 to support substance-use prevention, strengthen data systems, and improve treatment services.

According to Schlegel, the national prevalence survey was identified as a priority under the program in collaboration with UNODC, which is implementing the initiative.

“Today is a combination of a process that started almost over two years ago, and officially, we are at the point of implementation,” she stated.

“As the survey is set to begin implementation next week, I encourage all stakeholders to support an inclusive and coordinated process with the highest standards of professionalism, confidentiality, and informed community consent,” she urged.

For her part, Dr. Cuallau Jabbeh-Howe, Assistant Minister for Preventive Services at the Ministry of Health, described the survey as a significant step toward strengthening Liberia’s public health response to psychoactive substance use.

Dr. Jabbeh-Howe noted that despite growing concerns about substance use and its effects on individuals, families, and communities, Liberia had lacked comprehensive national evidence to guide policy and program development.

“This survey will help us understand what substances are being used, how frequently they are being used, and what factors contribute to their use,” she explained.

Dr. Howe: “No single institution can tackle this challenge alone. We need everyone on board to help us reach our communities.”

Meanwhile, Dr. Anselme Sineon Sanou, Programme Officer at UNODC, provided an overview of the survey’s objectives, methodology, target population, and expected outcomes.

Dr. Sanou disclosed that discussions on the survey protocol began in 2025 among UNODC, the Ministry of Health’s Mental Health Unit, and relevant research institutions, leading to the development of an implementation framework.

He explained that the study would comprise two major components: a school-based survey targeting secondary school students and a complementary community-based survey targeting young people.

He disclosed that data collectors had undergone training on survey procedures, confidentiality, informed consent, and questionnaire administration. The exercise is expected to begin in Montserrado County before expanding to other counties.

On confidentiality, Dr. Sanou assured participants that strict safeguards had been established to protect respondents’ privacy and ensure the credibility of the findings.

“No names, no nicknames, no phone numbers, no home addresses, or photographs will be collected,” he said, explaining that the measures were intended to encourage participants to provide honest responses without fear of identification.

He added that access to collected information would be restricted to authorized members of the research team and supervisors.

The survey is expected to establish the prevalence of psychoactive substance use in Liberia, identify the substances most frequently consumed, examine contributing factors, and highlight differences in consumption patterns across counties and population groups.

Its findings will also inform the implementation of Liberia’s National Drug Control Plan and strengthen national coordination on drug prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation.

The launch brought together officials of the Ministry of Health, representatives of the United States Embassy, UNODC, the Ministries of Education, Youth and Sports, and Local Government, civil society organizations, members of the Multisectoral Committee on Drugs and Substance Abuse, and other development partners.