The Herald Ghana: Rising drug abuse among JHS and SHS students and the failure of Narcotics Control Commission

A survey conducted recently by the Consultative Committee to Combat Drug Menace in Schools, has confirmed a massive scale of drug abuse among students in the Junior and Senior High Schools.

According to the report, about 54.1% of boys in Junior High and Senior High Schools use cannabis. The survey established cigarettes as the most widely used drug with 59.9% of boys, addicted to the substance.

Giving a breakdown of the numbers, the Committee noted that "about 88.6% of students that were sampled undergo stress in various schools and drugs are the major influences of the stress."

This occurrence was blamed largely on bad eating habits in schools which according to the report contributes about 64% of stress in students.

It further established that, 36% of boys and 32.1% of girls use alcohol in schools, while 34.3% of girls use shisha in schools.

Also, it was recorded that 72.7% of girls use pain relivers in schools.

Education and prevention of the use of narcotics is one of the functions of the Narcotics Control Commission. It has the statutory powers under the ministry of Interior to educate Ghanaians on the dangers of drug use.

If this startling revelation is anything to go by, it means that, what is happening in our tertiary institutions could be worse and where does that put the future of this country.

Drug use habits in Ghana have devolved with young people increasingly resorting to potent mixtures of several drugs at the high risk of fatal overdoses.

For instance, "gutter water", a widely consumed cocktail of drugs, is a mix of codeine, tramadol, rohypnol, cannabis and water or juice.

Some young adults are also turning to crude concoctions as alternatives, including smoking lizard parts and dung, as well as sniffing glue, petrol, sewage and urine as inhalants.

As a newspaper, we will support every legitimate move to halt the spread of drug abuse in the society particularly in our schools where we train the leaders of tomorrow.

Authorities, should also introduce routine drug tests in our schools, as a way to weed out the bad nuts, who need help and keep the clean ones from being influenced.