Supt. Osman Alhassan addressing the students
The Police in Adentan Municipality in Accra have sensitised students of the West Africa Senior High School (WASS) on the negative effects of drugs on their academic and personal ambitions.
In a collaborative effort, the Adentan District Police Commander, Supt. Osman Alhassan and adjunct lecturer of the University of Ghana Law School, Dr. Emmanuel K. Hopeson embarked on the sensitisation drive to educate the students on psychological and emotional wellness for academic excellence.
Over 2,800 students, teachers and non-teaching staff benefited from the presentation and were introduced to laws governing narcotics use; commonly abused substances such as cocaine, heroin, marijuana and tramadol; and drug misuse and its associated violent crimes among others.
Supt. Osman Alhassan, in a statement, bemoaned a worrying trend of students being arrested as part of recent police-led swoops and raid of ghettos within Adentan District.
The sensitisation, he said, was a preventive approach to guard the students against the harmful effects of drugs.
He mentioned some violent activities like rioting, school vandalism and assault on teachers and staff as mostly narcotics induced.
Supt. Alhassan revealed how these harmful substances were concealed and laced in consumables like toffees, tea, alcohol etc to trap innocent students.
He warned of a jail term of not less than five years and more than 10 years for using and possessing narcotic drugs respectively.
Dr. Hopeson, for his part, entreated participants to desist from engaging in narcotic drug-related activities.
He said people who persistently abuse substances often experienced an array of problems including poor peer relationships, academic difficulties, mental health-related issues and high truancy rate.
The headmistress of the school, Dr. Mrs. Shine Ofori expressed her gratitude to the police administration and resource personnel for the programme and called for more of such programmes.
The programme was graced by gospel musician and former MUSIGA President Mrs. Diana Hopeson, who treated the participants to some good music.
By Linda Tenyah-Ayettey