Dr. Kwesi Antwi Koranteng, a medical officer at Pantang Hospital, has expressed alarm about the rising rate of drug misuse and other risky activities among young people.
The medical practitioner indicated that cocaine, crack, and Shisha abuse has reached dangerously high levels. We shall be facing a crisis.
Speaking on Frontlines on Rainbow Radio 87.5 FM, Dr. Kwesi Antwi Koranteng raised another alarming concern: the sniffing of super glue and the use of cough mistures as substitutes for drug addicts.
“It is like we are sitting on a time bomb because the abuse of drugs and alcohol has reached alarming levels. The abuse of marijuana, shisha, and other hard drugs has reached alarming levels. When you do the chemical composition of the Shisha, it is dangerous and can increase your risk of getting lung cancer by 16 times. But people see it as fashionable, and you see people abusing it. It is very dangerous, and when I see people abusing it, I become sad.
The other thing I want to point out is rock and tie and the cough mixture. One person can purchase one box of the cough mixture and abuse it. It has some components that give them some good feelings, but it is dangerous and has serious health implications. This is a serious matter we have to address. Some people abuse this compliment because of their feelings. When I first heard of the super glue and how people sniffed it, I was surprised. So this is a time bomb we have to address as a country. The level of drug abuse is something we have to deal with immediately.”
Dr. Kwesi Antwi Koranteng indicated that the abuse of the drugs could reach a point where the body would no longer withstand it and create psychological problems.
The cost of rehab for drug addicts, he warned, has also become expensive, hence the need for young people to be guided.
He said some of the rehab centres cost not less than Ghc7,000 a month, adding that drug addiction comes with its own implications, including turning into a thieve or fraudster in order to generate the resources to satisfy your addiction.
“Drug misuse becomes worse over time. That’s why some people started with wee and subsequently moved on to regular powder cocaine. till they reach the point of cocaine misuse. The adverse effects are more severe, and because you must maintain that lifestyle, you resort to any means necessary to satisfy your needs. You also harm your body by abusing drugs. You will also lose your ability to say no since you have forfeited that opportunity and have become damaged,” he emphasised.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
