Over 2,000 first-year students of the Kaneshie Senior High and Technical School (KATECO) in the Greater Accra Region have been sensitized on the dangers of drug abuse.

The sensitization programme, dubbed “Say No To Drugs” Senior High School Outreach Programme, was organized by Chosen Rehab Centre in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service, Ghana Health Service, Narcotics Control Commission, and the Mental Health Authority.

Addressing the media, the Recovery Ambassador of Chosen Rehab Centre, Kwaku Gardiner, said the initiative seeks to fight drug addiction by enhancing education on its negative effects on education and life in general.

“We will fight and contribute our quota as effectively as possible to make drug addiction a thing that is frowned upon in communities,” he said. To him, efforts to curb drug abuse in schools will not be complete without involving parents and the larger community, as many children are exposed to drugs at home.

“These same people that come to school end up at home, and parents are supposed to be responsible for these children. Their fathers who smoke, their children go by, they are exposed to them. It is very wrong. There are parents who expose children to factors that will influence them to try drugs,” he noted.

He called for deliberate measures to educate the general public on the negative influence of drug addiction on community development. Mr. Gardiner advocated for drug addiction education to be introduced as a subject in the school curriculum and for regular public education in communities.

“That is why we are advocating that drug addiction should be a subject introduced in schools to be taught, and community-wise, there should be open communication where the Ministry of Communication, even once a week or once a month, can educate the general public on the negative effects of drugs on community development and the country at large,” he said.

He expressed optimism that if such measures are implemented, they would contribute about 70 percent of the effort needed to make Ghana a drug-free environment.

The Senior Narcotics Control Officer for the Greater Accra Region, Sandra Thompson, advised parents to be cautious about buying drugs from roadside sellers, warning that it has serious negative effects.

According to her, many parents are unaware of the consequences of such drugs, especially the substance known as “Red,” and in some cases, drugs are mixed into energy drinks. She cautioned that failure to take care could lead one to end up at a rehabilitation centre.

Some of the students expressed their profound gratitude to Chosen Rehabilitation Centre and the Ministry of Education for the sensitization exercise, saying it would help them a lot.

Report by Bernard K Dadzie Greater Accra Region