The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference has urged the government to adopt stronger measures to tackle the widespread use and abuse of tramadol, marijuana and other easily accessible drugs across the country.
According to the Bishops, the abuse of these substances is having a serious effect on the country’s youth and deserves greater attention in the national fight against drug trafficking and substance abuse.
They maintain that efforts to combat the drug menace should go beyond cocaine and other high-profile narcotics and also target substances that are readily available in local communities.
Speaking in an interview monitored by The Ghana Report on Citi News, President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Most Rev. Matthew Gyamfi, said the growing use of tramadol, marijuana and other drugs among young people calls for urgent intervention.
“In our villages and towns, we know the young men and women have taken to drugs—tramadol, ‘Red’, marijuana—and this is destroying many, many young men and women,” he said.
He stressed that the country’s approach must reflect the extent to which readily available substances are being abused by young people.
“You should not concentrate only on drugs like cocaine, which is used, but not as massively as marijuana, tramadol, ‘Red’ and other similar drugs that are readily available on the shelves, and young people just go for it,” he stated.
Most Rev. Gyamfi also appealed for stronger legislation and enforcement to prevent the importation and unlawful sale of such substances.
“They should make laws to ban the importation of these drugs and ensure that they are cleared away from the shelves,” he said.
The Bishops’ appeal is part of their wider concern over the growing drug problem and its consequences for young people and communities across the country.
They are calling on the authorities to step up enforcement against the illegal distribution of drugs while also strengthening measures aimed at preventing substance abuse among the youth.
