A medical officer at Pantang Hospital encouraged young people to avoid drugs due to the high cost of rehabilitation.
Dr. Kwesi Antwi Koranteng raised concern about the increase in drug addiction, referring to it as a national crisis.
He voiced concern about the increasing prevalence of drug abuse and other dangerous behaviours among young people.
He mentioned cocaine, crack, and Shisha as some of the drugs that have seen a surge in use among young people.
This, he stated, has reached dangerously high proportions.
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.
He said that there are several young persons in rehab, and the rehab is not inexpensive, with some spending GHC 7,000 per month.
He questioned the cost of someone who would need to go through rehab for a year, claiming that it would cost Ghc84,000 on average.
“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.”
“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
