A public health advocate and CEO of Health Consult Pharmacy, Dr Michael Coffie, has called for urgent and collective confrontation of the rising threat of drug and substance abuse among the youth.
He cautioned that drug misuse had created “a silent epidemic” that endangered homes, schools and the country’s future labour force.
“Drug addiction has already destroyed many dreams, disfigured destinies and divided families in Ghana, and the nation needs to confront the crisis with urgency and unity to protect its future,” he said.
Dr Coffie appealed for a united national effort to protect young people and prevent a future burden on the country’s economy.
“This reality threatens the strength of the future workforce and the viability of national pension systems.
If our youth are getting addicted, the future becomes bleak. Our labour force will become incapacitated and unable to support the aged,” he said.
He made the call last Friday in Accra at the launch of his book, titled Don’t Touch It: Breaking the Cycle of Addiction and Despair”.
Cannabis and the youth
Dr Coffie indicated that adolescents and young adults between 15 and 34 years were the most affected, with cannabis alone recording 219 million users worldwide.
The pharmacist also referenced the National Council on Narcotics Control data that showed that 75 per cent of people arrested for drug-related offences in 2021 were under 35.
He said cannabis and tramadol had “taken a commanding lead” in national abuse patterns and explained that mental health records painted an equally troubling picture.
“Three out of 10 psychiatric admissions in public health facilities are directly linked to substance abuse, especially cannabis-induced psychosis,” he added.
Initiative
Dr Coffie announced that the book launch also marked the beginning of a national campaign that he would champion against drug and substance abuse.
This initiative, he said, would travel across all 16 regions and would aim to target young people by utilising evidence-based information.
He also revealed that his team had committed to distributing 10,000 free copies of the book to schools, rehabilitation centres, colleges, community libraries and key institutions across the country.
“This gesture is to support early education and help young people to read, reflect and realise that their lives are worth more than a momentary high,” he stated.
He invited state agencies, NGOs, religious bodies and traditional leaders to join the national campaign, stating that “every hand counts, every voice matters and every effort saves a life.”
Overlooked danger
For his part, Professor Victor Wutor, who reviewed the book, urged the country to treat alcohol with the same seriousness as any other harmful drug.
He explained that alcohol had become even more dangerous because of its unchecked availability and the absence of strong public warnings.
Prof. Wutor argued that the nation could not continue to regard cannabis users as offenders while allowing alcohol to be sold freely.
