By Edward Dankwah, GNA
Accra, Nov. 12, GNA – The Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) has identified Madina, among five surrounding communities as priority areas for intensified interventions to address substance abuse among young people.
The Commission says it will strengthen enforcement against local drug supply, expand community-based prevention programmes, and establish referral systems to support young people seeking treatment.
Major General Maxwell Obuba Mantey, Director-General of NACOC, was speaking in a statement read on his behalf by PNCO Sylvester Koomson, Director of Research, Policy and Planning, at the stakeholder engagement on baseline study of the youth substance use in La-Nkwantanang-Madina Municipality, in Accra.
The study was conducted by the Research and Consultancy Centre of the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), in collaboration with the Commission’s Municipal Command.
It received responses from 1,039 young people in Madina, Teiman, West Adenta, Pantang and Oyarifa, which discovered that 45.1 per cent of respondents had used substances for non-medical purposes, with the prevalence approaching three-quarters in Madina.
Major General Mantey said the findings provided critical evidence for developing targeted interventions, noting that despite widespread awareness of the dangers of drugs, substance use remained high among young people.
In Madina, nearly 95 per cent of young people were aware of drugs and their associated harms, while friends accounted for more than 40 per cent of first-time substance use, highlighting the influence of peer pressure.
He expressed concern that most school-based prevention programmes were not reaching young people who were most at risk, particularly those out of school, among whom substance use was close to 80 per cent.
Major General Mantey said nearly 8 out of every 10 substance users expressed a desire to quit, but only 10 per cent had ever received assistance, while less than one per cent had undergone formal treatment.
He attributed the high relapse rate among those attempting to quit largely to stress, adding that the situation required stronger community support and improved access to treatment.
“It’s not their fault. It is ours,” he said, referring to the limited support available to young people seeking assistance, despite the presence of the Pantang Psychiatric Hospital within the municipality.
He said NACOC would intensify prevention activities at lorry stations, markets, workshops, vocational centres, trade associations and transport unions to reach young people beyond the formal school environment.
The Director-General called on the Municipal Assembly to incorporate youth substance use prevention into its development plans, while urging traditional, and religious leaders to openly discuss drug use in their communities to encourage families to seek help rather than conceal the problem.
He also appealed to health workers, parents, and employers to support the initiative by providing treatment services, engaging young people early, and creating opportunities that would help them avoid substance abuse.
Major General Mantey urged the youth to actively participate in shaping interventions, rather than being treated merely as recipients of prevention programmes.
Dr Adam Salifu, Senior Research Fellow, UPSA, called for prevention programmes to extend beyond formal educational institutions to apprentices, mechanics, and other young people engaged in informal economic activities.
He proposed a phased implementation of the study’s recommendations, beginning with immediate interventions within one to six months, including the formation of a multi-stakeholder working group, mapping of drug-use hotspots, and intensified community sensitisation.
In the medium term, between 6 and 18 months, he recommended expanding sensitisation programmes in schools and linking unemployed young people to resource centres and other support services, while long-term monitoring and evaluation would also be necessary to determine whether the interventions were reducing substance use and producing the desired behavioural changes.
Dr Salifu described the research as the first of its kind in the country to examine substance use through a survey conducted at the municipal level.
He said extending the exercise to other communities would depend on the availability of resources, adding that the research team was prepared to undertake similar studies elsewhere when funding became available.
GNA
Edited by Linda Asante Agyei