The Minister for Youth Development and Empowerment, George Opare Addo, has raised concerns about the increasing abuse of drugs among Ghanaian youth, describing it as a bigger threat to the country than illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.

According to the Minister, findings from research conducted into drug use among young people revealed worrying levels of substance abuse, particularly among students in tertiary institutions.

Speaking in an interview with Kwesi Parker Wilson on Oyerepa Breakfast Time, Mr Opare Addo said the research found that a significant proportion of tertiary students were actively using drugs.

“We did a research on the issues of drugs. We realised one thing that is mitigating against the youth is drug abuse, and the findings we got surprised us,” he said.

He disclosed that about six out of every 10 tertiary students surveyed were found to have used drugs, with Colleges of Education recording the highest rate.

He further said the research identified concerning levels of drug use among students in second-cycle institutions.

According to him, about 27 percent of students between the ages of 15 and 16 were first-time drug users, while the figure increased to approximately 31 percent among those aged between 16 and 17.

Mr Opare Addo said the findings prompted his ministry to develop a nationwide sensitisation campaign aimed at educating young people and parents about the dangers of drug abuse.

He noted that many parents may fail to recognise early signs of drug use among their children because they lack adequate knowledge of the behavioural changes associated with substance abuse.

“After the drug research, we came up with an effective campaign to bring about sensitisation. A lot of people are ignorant when their wards start taking drugs; they don’t know because they don’t know the signs to look out for,” he said.

The Minister said his ministry had therefore taken up the responsibility of educating parents and communities to enable them to identify possible signs of drug use early and intervene appropriately.

He stressed that the issue should be treated as a national priority because Ghana’s most valuable resource is its human capital.

“The drug problem we have today is bigger than the galamsey,” Mr Opare Addo said.

He argued that the situation was particularly worrying in tertiary institutions, where young people are expected to acquire the skills and knowledge needed to contribute to national development.

“The biggest natural resource we have as a country is the human resource and if at the tertiary level where you train your people for high performance, and you have 41 percent being aware of active drug users, what does it tell you?” he asked.

Mr Opare Addo called for increased collaboration among government agencies, educational institutions, parents and communities to address drug abuse among young people.

Source: Kwaku Antwi Bosiako