HIV prevalence among drug users in Ashanti Region hits 6.6% - NACOC
Major General Maxwell Obuba Mantey, Director-General of the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), raised concern over high HIV prevalence among people who use drugs in the Ashanti Region during the National Youth Day celebration in Kumasi. He stated, "HIV prevalence among persons who use drugs in the Ashanti Region was 6.6 percent, several times above the national average of 1.4."
Research conducted by the University of Ghana School of Public Health in 2025 estimated that 82,500 people use drugs in Ghana, with 16,300 of those in the Ashanti Region. This figure excludes cannabis. 10% of people who use drugs begin before the age of 15, while 54% start before the age of 19. In 2025, 1,179 people received treatment for substance use disorders at 30 treatment centers across the country, with 88.5% aged between 20 and 44 years.
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The Director-General of the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) has expressed concern over the high HIV prevalence among drug users in Ghana's
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