Youth cautioned to stay away from drugs
Mrs Lucy Awuni, Upper East Deputy Regional Minister, has advised students to stay away from drugs debunking the notion they enhance studies.
Speaking on Monday during this year‘s International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, she said many students had stopped school because of the abuse of drugs, whilst others had lost their sanity.
Mrs Awuni said the Upper East Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) was doing everything possible to ensure that drug trafficking did not occur in the region.
She called for the support of all agencies including faith-based organizations to complement the RCC in campaigning against drug abuse and trafficking.
The celebration of the day came with the theme: “Be smart to be healthy, don’t use drugs”.
The Zonal Officer of the Narcotics Control Board in charge of the northern sector, Mr George Afful, said recent events had put the issue of drug abuse and illicit trafficking at the centre stage as one of the real socio-economic plagues seriously affecting the nation’s development.
“It is a problem, which brings about personal tragedies, severe change to health and destruction of democratic societies. It increases the level of all types of induced organized crimes and undermines democratic structures”, he added.
Mr Afful said the Narcotics Control Board in recent times had adopted a number of strategies to wage war against the menace and had also decentralized its human resource base.
He noted that the celebration of the event in the Region was a clear testimony of the Narcotic Control Board commitment to combating the menace.
He called on traditional rulers, civil society organizations and the media to complement government’s efforts at reducing the problem.
The occasion was attended by school children in the Municipality, who undertook street matches with messages on placards calling on the general public to stay away from drug abuse and drug trafficking.
They later converged at the Bolgatanga Catholic Social Centre where the major function took place in addition to a video show on the harmful effects of drug abuse.
Source: GNA