Losing the next generation? Ghana cannot afford to ignore youth substance abuse
Ghana faces a national emergency due to youth substance abuse, which threatens individual futures and the country's social and economic progress. The Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) have highlighted the increasing misuse of drugs among young people and its devastating consequences. NACOC Director-General Brigadier General Maxwell Obuba Mantey warned that Ghana risks losing its future generation.
This warning reflects a reality unfolding in many communities, with the growing availability and misuse of substances such as marijuana, tramadol, shisha, and synthetic drugs. These substances are destroying lives, interrupting education, deteriorating health, devastating families, and fading dreams. The roots of substance abuse are complex and interconnected, including peer pressure, unemployment, poverty, family instability, and mental health challenges.
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Ghana faces a national emergency as youth substance abuse threatens the future generation, with institutions like NACOC and WHO raising alarm. The
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