Estimated 200,000 die annually from drug use - Report

Every year, an estimated 210 million people use illicit drugs with about 200,000 of them dying annually.

Drug use and drug trafficking are not only a health threat but also threaten global stability and socio-economic development across the world.

This was contained in a release from the Abibimman Foundation, International Day of the African Child and Youth (IDAY Ghana), AYICC –Ghana, and Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP-Ghana).

The release was signed by Kenneth Nana Amoateng, Chief Executive Officer, Abibiman Foundation.

The release was in commemoration of the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, which fell on June 26th, 2013, and organized under the theme, "Make Health Your New High In Life Not Drugs."

It said illegal drug trafficking was a clear obstacle to development adding that: "the cross-border problem required a robust and coordinated law enforcement response within and among countries".

The release said tackling organized crime and the illicit drugs trade was a shared responsibility which could be achieved by working together with young people and communities.

It said such efforts could create synergies, build upon existing infrastructures and leverage resources, to help in the fight against illicit drug trafficking.

The release urged parents and community members to report their children, friends and colleagues who indulged in illicit drug use, to relevant authorities

"Ghana Education Service should incorporate drug abuse into the schools curricula and provide incentives for abstinence," it said.

The release said building skills to resist drug use, replacing drug-using activities with constructive and rewarding activities, improving problem-solving skills, and facilitating better interpersonal relationships, formed a core part of the solution.

"We call for action at the local level, school clubs, individual, family, the media and civil society, to raise awareness and attack this threat to human life and security" the release said.