The NDC Member of Parliament for Adansi Asokwa in the Ashanti Region, Godwin Animli Dorgbadzi Dorani, has asserted that the future of Ghana is under serious attack through abuse of opioids and other hard drugs nowadays.
According to him, the phenomenon of drug abuse, now than ever, exhibits enormous danger, stressing that the alarming rate of devastation and destruction we all observe in the youth in the streets and Ghettos within constituencies is very worrying.
In a statement read on the floor of Parliament on the abuse of opioids on the International Day Against Drug Abuse and illicit trafficking, the MP said, “the infamous slogan ‘wonim red?’ in the Ghanaian streets and public places speaks volumes. The Pharmaceutical drug known as Red 225, originally made to manage pain, is now a source of pain in some circles of our society due to abuse.
He urged this parliament to pay attention to this phenomenon and fight it with all the energy it deserves as he invites all well-meaning Ghanaians, including media practitioners, religious leaders, and traditional leaders, to join in the initiative by the Ministry for Youth Development and Empowerment to participate in the ‘Red means Stop’ campaign, while reassuring the youth that better days are ahead.
the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is observed on June 26 globally every year. This year, the slogan for the event is ‘Breaking the Chains: Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery for All!’ On this day, “we are invited to not relent on our responsibility to protect our communities, especially our youth from the crippling effect of drug abuse”.
The MP reports that the World Drug Report 2024 shows that globally, the prevalence rate of opioid abuse is 1.15% and 1.26% in Africa. Also, the data indicates that trend changes show that there is a large increase (more than 10%) in opioid abuse in Ghana. In terms of prevalence, opioids ranked 3rd after Cannabis and cocaine, respectively.
