Stay away from illicit drugs - E/R Minister cautions Koforidua SHTS students
The Eastern Regional Minister, Seth Kwame Acheampong, has advised students of the Koforidua Senior High Technical School to desist from the use of narcotic drugs.
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That, according to him, would make their academic future bright.
He said relying on such illicit drugs, as students, would destroy their academic future and become burdens to their parents, as well as the society.
The Regional Minister gave the advice at a seminar organised for the students by the Perfector of Sentiments (POS) Foundation, a non-governmental organisation dedicated to human rights, in collaboration with the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA).
The seminar was on the theme "Prevention of the use of illicit drugs; the youth, our future", and was attended by students and their tutors.
Illicit drugs
According to the minister, the use of illicit drugs had negative effects on one's brains, which impaired the judgement of the user.
That, Mr Acheampong said, usually made the users to take dangerous decisions that affected their relationship with others.
Apart from that, he stated that students who relied on narcotic drugs performed abysmally at school, and had extreme difficulty in overcoming the problem of drug abuse.
Mr Acheampong gave a myriad of reasons why people go into drugs to include curiosity, peer pressure or even boredom, while others used them as a way of escaping from problems or to deal with stress or anxiety.
The Regional Minister indicated that it was important for the students to understand and acquire knowledge on what drugs were, the types and what they could do to the human brain and body.
The use of illicit drugs, Mr Acheampong noted, could not be the panacea to problems. Instead, they create new problems for the user, leading to long term physical, mental and emotional damage.
Narcotic drugs
He tutored the students on narcotic drugs, which he stated were chemical substances used in the prevention, cure or alleviation of diseases or pain.
Such drugs, he also intimated, were used in some diagnostic procedures and were classified as hard or soft, uppers or downers, addictive or non-addictive and most harmful or least harmful.
He also said such drugs were used medically to treat illness and diseases to relieve pain, anxiety and stress.
Drug-free school
The Acting Deputy Eastern Regional Officer of the Narcotics Control Commission, Millicent Badu, said a drug-free school would always be the preferred choice for every parent, irrespective of geographical location.
She pointed out that a school that had good public image would enjoy an increase in enrolment and serene academic environment for both teachers and students to be safe.
Mrs Badu said it was sad to be called to a scene that resulted in the loss of a young person's life due to drug overdose, violence and accidents.
According to her, it was against that backdrop that stakeholders had to protect the country's future leaders from the harmful effects of drugs, adding that posterity would judge Ghanaians if they failed to effectively deal with the problem.
Campaign
Mrs Badu, therefore, indicated that the organisation of the seminar had been at the appropriate period and that her outfit was delighted to be part of the campaign to prevent the use of illicit drugs among the youth.
The Executive Director of the POS Foundation, Jonathan Osei Owusu, advised the students to stay away from alcohol, since it could land them in jail.
According to him, many people were being sentenced to the Nsawam Medium Security Prisons due to drugs and other substance abuse.
Peer group
The Eastern Regional Education Director, Ivy Asantewa Owusu, advised the students to run away from negative peer group influence and say no to narcotic drugs or any harmful substances.
She, therefore, urged them not to disappoint their tutors, as well as their parents and guardians, so that they would achieve their future dreams of becoming responsible citizens of the country.
The Assistant Headmaster in charge of Administration of the school, Samuel Batarema, commended the organisers for the programme.
