The Director-General of the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), Major General Maxwell Obuba, has said that about 82,500 Ghanaians are actively using hard drugs, with the Ashanti Region accounting for nearly 20 per cent of the figure.
Maj-Gen. Obuba disclosed that figure is contained in a new study by the University of Ghana School of Public Health, which pointed to an escalating public health emergency that require urgent and coordinated action.
According to the study, the drugs identified in the study include heroin, cocaine, tramadol and methamphetamine.
Speaking during the International Youth Day celebration, in Kumasi, Maj. Gen. Obuba said that the 82,500 estimate did not include cannabis, which remained the most widely abused illegal substance in the country.
He said that the study also revealed a worrying link between hard drug use and the spread of HIV in the Ashanti Region, where an estimated 16,300 hard drug users were recorded.
According to the study, HIV prevalence among drug users in the region stood at 6.6 per cent, nearly five times Ghana’s national prevalence of 1.4 per cent.
Maj. Gen. Obuba expressed concern about the devastating impact of drug use on the youth, warning that failure to address the problem could have serious health, social and economic consequences for the country.
“The statistics highlight the urgent need for stronger interventions to prevent drug use and address its consequences,” local media reports quoted Maj-Gen, OBuba as saying.
He stressed that traditional law enforcement alone could not address the problem and called for a multi-pronged approach that combined prevention with medical and social support.
He urged families, schools, traditional authorities and community leaders to play a greater role in protecting young people from substance abuse.
He also advocated increased investment in rehabilitation facilities to support people battling drug dependence and help them reintegrate into society.
GIK/APA