By Anthony Adongo Apubeo
Bolgatanga, Dec. 12, GNA – The Upper East Regional Command of the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) has held a two-day intensive drug-prevention outreach in the Nabdam District, raising alarm over increasing youth exposure to substance abuse.
It called for the urgent need to strengthen community-based interventions to address the phenomenon which was destroying the youth in many communities.
The outreach, led by NACOC’s Education and Counselling Unit, focused on drug prevention education, youth engagement, and promoting early detection of substance misuse among adolescents.
NACOC engaged more than 400 young people during an inter-community games event at the Sekote JHS Park and distributed 150 educational flyers and sensitised participants on the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse.
The two-day engagement concluded with Senior Narcotics Control Officer (SNCO) Saeed A. Aziz, the Upper East Regional Commander of NACOC, addressing the Sekote/Tenglebigre Festival as Guest Speaker, calling for collective efforts to curb drug abuse among the youth.
Speaking on the theme, “Drug Abuse: A Threat to the Health and Development of Nabdam Youth,” he warned that substance abuse led to severe health complications, loss of productive potential, economic setbacks, and increased security risks in communities.
He urged traditional leaders, parents, educators, and security agencies to work together to protect young people from drug-related harm.
He further recommended that the institution of appropriate sanctions, intensification of education, and integration of anti-drug programmes into community structures and programmes to deepen outreach.
To deepen the Commission’s presence in the district, the Regional Commander appealed to the Nabdam District Assembly to provide office accommodation and logistics to support sustained sensitisation and enforcement activities.
In a related development, NACOC also joined the Youth Parliament Programme organised by Youth Harvest Foundation Ghana, and interacted with about 350 students from Zuarungu Senior High School, Zamse Senior High Technical, and Bolgatanga SHS.
Presentations at the forum highlighted the incompatibility of drug use with academic achievement, the need for peer monitoring, and the availability of NACOC for confidential counselling.
The team also noted a troubling rise in the abuse of energy drinks among secondary school students and appealed to the stakeholders to intensify collaboration with NACOC to curb drug abuse among the youth.
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali/Christian Akorlie