Inmates at the Ho Central and Female Prisons in Ghana were walked through the stages of addiction this year as part of World Drug Day activities run by the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC).
ANCO Millicent Marfo led the programme. Supt. Ben Adomah, a physician assistant at the Reformers Health Centre, facilitated it. Metro Digital’s Martha Seyram Jackson covered the session.
The aim was twofold: to warn inmates about the dangers of drug abuse and to push healthier choices, and to support rehabilitation and the return of inmates to society. Inmates heard how substance abuse damages a person’s physical, mental and psychological health, one stage of addiction at a time.
NACOC officials stressed the value of asking for support and making informed decisions. They described rehabilitation as the route to recovery and to a successful return to home communities. The commission says the outreach is part of its push to step up public education on drug issues in Ghana.
Poetry in Ashanti
The same World Drug Day campaign reached schools elsewhere. NACOC’s Ashanti Regional Command held a poetry competition for the Drug Free Clubs of nine senior high schools under the theme “Drug Abuse, Causes and Effects.”
Ashanti Regional Commander PNCO Samuel Yeboah told participants that tackling drug abuse takes collective action from schools, parents, communities and students. He urged them to act as ambassadors of the commission among their peers.
Judges scored contestants on memorisation, clarity, pronunciation, expression, stage presence, confidence and interpretation. Kumasi Anglican Senior High School won. Armed Forces Senior High Technical School placed second and Prempeh College third. The top three schools received trophies and cash prizes, and the reciters took home medals, exercise books and certificates.
Sources
- NACOC Sensitises Ho Prison Inmates on Dangers of Drug Abuse
- Kumasi Anglican SHS wins NACOC Ashanti poetry competition on drug abuse – MyJoyOnline
