Ghanaian actor turned-reverend minister, Timothy Bentum, has opened up about his past experiences with substance use.
The Grace Avenue Ministry founder revealed that his first encounter with marijuana happened during his school days.
Speaking in an interview with George Quaye on Joy Prime on September 23, 2026, He disclosed that he used marijuana for about five years before being introduced to a stronger substance after moving from one neighbourhood in Accra to another.
“I’ve been pretty much adventurous my whole life and because there was no social media back then, I enjoyed the validation of men. I did weed for about five years,” he said.
Bentum mentioned that he attended about five schools before writing his A-Level examinations.
He recalled that while serving as the president of his school's drama and debate club, a student from another school introduced him and some colleagues to marijuana shortly before they were scheduled to stage a play.
“I went to about five schools before I wrote my A-Level. In one of those schools, a young man came from another school and we were about to go do a play. I was the president of the drama and debate club in school,” he stated.
According to Bentum, the irony was that the play they were preparing was centred on drug abuse.
“Ironically, the theme for the play was drug abuse. This guy came and said we can’t do the play without trying something,” he recounted.
He further stated that the student took them to a park behind the school, where he tried marijuana for the first time.
“That was my first time and he took us to a park behind the school and did what we had to do. I took some of the weed and I ended up not doing the play,” he shared.
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The actor recalled that the experience left him incapacitated, forcing his colleagues to carry him back to the dormitory.
“They had to carry me to the dormitory, pour water on me and all of that. I was knocked out and gone,” he stated.
Bentum noted that what began as an isolated experience eventually became a regular recreational activity.
“That’s how it started, then it became regular recreation stuff,” he added.
According to Bentum, some people he met in his new neighbourhood later introduced him to a substance that produced a more intense but shorter-lasting high.
“We moved from one neighbourhood in Accra to another neighbourhood. The guys there then introduced me to a higher buzz than weed,” he explained.
He said the person who introduced him to the substance initially offered him his first dose for free, which he believes was a tactic to draw him in.
“Interestingly, the guy said my first hit was free. They lured me, then I took it and it felt good,” he recalled.
Bentum explained that, unlike marijuana, the effect of the substance wore off quickly, which created a desire to repeatedly use it.
“It’s not as lasting as weed. With weed, you would feel high and you would be there for a while and when you smoke a cigarette, then you will be high again. But with this one, you will be high quickly, and within 10 minutes, you’re back to zero and you would want to go again and again,” he shared.
He attributed the destructive nature of such dependency to the repeated urge to obtain another dose.
“That’s how people sell houses just for that. It’s a buzz that wears away very fast, so you would want to reload over and over again and before you know it, everything is gone,” he added.
Ps. Tim Bentum shares his personal story of how he was introduced to weed and other illegal drugs, a powerful story that deserves to be heard Watch #primetime here: https://t.co/heV0lBfYIk pic.twitter.com/vSFxuTf7XN
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