Creg Afful
A Tema-based anti-narcotics organisation, Creg Afful Foundation (CAF), is advocating the establishment of a national fund for the campaign against drug abuse.
According to the Executive Director of CAF, Michael Creg Afful, the establishment of such fund would enable individuals and corporate bodies to contribute their quota to help fight against drug menace in the country.
He added that the fund would be a channel to mobilise resources to support the fight against drug abuse.
Mr Afful suggested that moneys generated from the fund should be used to embark on an intensive education in primary, junior high and senior high schools which would help to change the perception of students about drug abuse.
The executive director of CAF made the call in a statement issued to mark the International Campaign Day Against Drug Abuse under the theme: ‘listen first – listening to the children and youth is the first step to help them grow healthy and safe’.
He highlighted that the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has set aside every June 26 as an International Campaign Day Against Drug Abuse.
“We believe the fund if established will be a great feat for this country because state agencies such as the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) and the Drug Law Enforcement Unit within the Ghana Police Service as well as civil society groups can source funding from the National Fund for Campaign against Drug Abuse for their programmes. As we speak, there is nothing like that, therefore, we are not able to embark on programmes to educate the youth about the dangers of narcotics, especially substance abuse,” he stated.
Mr Afful, who is also a pastor with the Community 12 branch of the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC), disclosed that the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB), which is the state agency mandated to lead the fight and control of narcotics, is financially constrained, thereby impeding its efforts to exercise their mandate effectively and efficiently.
He expressed worry over the latest United Nations (UN) reports which placed Ghana on the league table as the third country in Africa where marijuana is smoked the most.
Mr Afful also stated that the increasing consumption of Indian hemp, particularly among students across the country, should be of concern for all state actors.
According to him, in 2014, Ghana was ranked number one by the United Nations (UN) global rankings of countries, where cannabis sativa, popularly known as Indian hemp or marijuana, is largely smoked or used.
“Although, Ghana dropped to the third position in 2015, the 2016 United Nations (UN) report indicated that Ghana remained the number one consumer of Indian hemp in Africa,” he stated.
He has, therefore, called on President Akufo-Addo to prioritise the fight against narcotics by resourcing the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) and Drug Law Enforcement Unit of the Ghana Police Service to undertake sensitisation programmes to change the perception of the youth about drug abuse.
“As we mark this year’s international Campaign Day against Drug Abuse, we take this opportunity to draw your attention to a very disturbing issue on the rise, which is the consumption of Indian hemp among students and also urge your administration to take urgent steps to curtail it in order to save the future leaders of Ghana from the devastating effects of narcotics drugs,” Mr Afful underscored.
 From Bernard Aryee, Tema