By Prince Acquah
Cape Coast, Aug. 10, GNA – The Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) in the Central Region has appealed to the government to take urgent steps to establish a dedicated fund to support the treatment and rehabilitation of persons affected by drug addiction, as directed by law.
Assistant Commissioner of Narcotics (ACN) Felix Sarfo Yeboah, Central Regional Commander of the Commission, observed that the cost of rehabilitation was highly expensive, making it difficult for victims to access treatment.
The situation, he said, required immediate government intervention.
ACN Yeboah made the call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Cape Coast.
“It costs about GHC5,000 every month if you are seeking rehabilitation even at a government facility but look at every Ghanaian’s salary.
“If you need GHC5,000 to rehabilitate your ward, you can imagine why it is a problem and the government needs to come in and establish that fund so that we can help our people,” he said.
“If somebody has malaria, he goes to a clinic, hospital, or a good pharmacy to buy a drug. But if somebody is addicted to drugs, where does the person go?” he queried.
Act 1019 of the Narcotic Control Commission Act enjoins the government to set up a rehabilitation fund for the treatment of persons who have fallen victim to substance abuse, but the fund has yet to be established.
The situation was even more worrying given the rising incidence of substance abuse among the youth in Ghana.
He noted that the use of illicit drugs was generally high in coastal and illegal mining (galamsey) communities, but in the Central Region, major hotspots included Kasoa, Winneba, Mankessim and a few other places.
To stem the tide, he said the Commission had stepped up enforcement and sensitisation efforts in schools, communities and other places.
ACN Yeboah, however, expressed worry that some schools and churches were not cooperative, saying some girls’ schools, in particular, did not grant the Commission access to educate students because the authorities believed the girls were not involved in drug use.
“Not long ago, we raided a ghetto outside of Cape Coast and found two girls of a popular school in Cape Coast doing their own thing there,” he revealed.
Touching on substance abuse in schools, the Commander said security personnel, teachers, food vendors, cobblers and others who worked in schools could be complicit in supplying drugs to students.
“There was one case we handled which involved a 17-year-old schoolboy who had been hooked onto drugs.
“Later, we got to know that it was a security man in the school who was supplying the drugs to the students.
“The people bring it and give it to the security guy. And through that, we have been able to get to the source of the supplier,” he recounted.
“When it comes to drugs, every school is involved,” he insisted, calling on all citizens to join the fight against opioids and related substances.
GNA
Edited by Alice Tettey / Audrey Dekalu
Reporter: Prince Acquah
E-mail: [email protected]