Queen mothers to outline rules and regulations to combat drug abuse among students in Dzodze SHS

Drug abuse among young people in the Volta Region is common compared to the other regions in the country.

In 2016, the Narcotics Control Commission ranked the region as the "leading region" in terms of the usage of illegal drugs, especially marijuana.

The research done seven years ago indicated that the menace is common among youth between the ages of 12 and 35, most of whom are students in junior and senior high schools across the country.

Between 2022 and the fourth quarter of 2023, the Immigration Service (GIS) including other security agencies in the Volta Region have intercepted huge quantities of marijuana.

The largest one seized in the last two years is 64,000 slaps of marijuana by the Nyive Sector Command of the GIS in the Ho Municipality.

The use of illegal drugs in Dzosec:

The Queen mother of Dzodze Afetefe, Mama Agbaledzokpui II said illicit use of drugs is on the rise at Dzodze Secondary School (Dzosec).

She said, "We've realised that (one of) the problems here (in Dzodze Secondary School) is how the girls (female students) go out from the school (without permission) to hotels (to indulge in) use of drugs (which contributes to absenteeism and poor academic performance".

The queen said as part of efforts to discourage the menace in the school, "We the queen mothers are going to put up rules and regulations that they (the students) will follow".

Mama Agbaledzokpui is an alumnus of the school.

On Monday, October 2, 2023, the queen mother, her traditional delegation, and members of her non-profit organisation, Mama Agbaledzokpui Foundation visited the school and donated 6,000 pieces of sanitary pads to female students of the school, where she lamented about the abuse of drugs by students of the school.

She said the pads are to complement the struggle to purchase sanitary pads among female students in the school.

She then promised to aid the school in other areas including the provision of desks, Moyer, and among other teaching and learning materials.

The students were educated on self-hygiene, drug abuse, and other issues affecting the growth of young people.