Security service recruitment: Drug test detected up to a month-old substance used - Deputy NACOC boss

Alexander Twum Barimah, Deputy Director-General of the National Commission on Narcotics Control (NACOC), stated that the recent drug screening of applicants for the security services was comprehensive enough to detect substance use going back several weeks, not just recent consumption. He explained that the nationwide exercise formed part of the recruitment process for the security services and was carried out across all 16 regions. He said, "When we started the recent security service recruitment, as part of the process, NACOC conducted drug tests on all the applicants."

The comments from Twum Barimah follow revelations by the Minister for the Interior, Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, that more than 6,000 applicants were disqualified from the ongoing security services recruitment process due to drug use and mental health-related issues. The Minister explained that more than 4,000 applicants failed the drug tests, while about 2,000 others were disqualified on mental health grounds. Twum Barimah said that the testing was not limited to drugs taken on the day of screening but could identify substances used within a longer period, stating, "The test was not for drugs taken in a day, but as long as within the last month, it will be detected."

Mr. Twum Barimah noted that a wide range of substances were detected among applicants, with opioids being the most common. He said, "We tested them on all drugs, but the most common component was the opioids, Red, tramadol, cocaine, heroin, cannabis, among others." He added that a significant number of applicants across the country tested positive for various substances during the exercise.