The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference has called for stronger measures to tackle the abuse of tramadol, marijuana, ‘Red’ and other readily accessible drugs, warning that the growing problem is taking a serious toll on young people.
The Bishops said Ghana’s response to the drug menace must go beyond high-profile narcotics such as cocaine and address substances that are widely available in communities and increasingly used by the youth.
President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Most Rev. Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, said the scale of abuse of readily accessible drugs required urgent attention from authorities.
Speaking to Citi News, Most Rev. Gyamfi said young people in communities across the country are increasingly turning to substances such as tramadol, marijuana and “Red”.
“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 the national drug-control strategy should not concentrate primarily on cocaine while overlooking substances that are more easily obtained and widely consumed.
According to him, marijuana, tramadol, “Red” and similar substances are readily accessible to young people and therefore require stronger regulatory and enforcement measures.
“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 said.
Most Rev. Gyamfi urged authorities to strengthen laws and enforcement measures to restrict the importation and illegal distribution of drugs that are contributing to substance abuse among young people.
He called for measures to prevent such substances from being readily available for purchase and urged authorities to intensify enforcement against illegal suppliers.
“They should make laws to ban the importation of these drugs and ensure that they are cleared away from the shelves,” he stated.
The Bishops’ latest intervention comes amid growing national concern over drug trafficking and substance abuse in Ghana.
The Conference has previously called for a coordinated national response involving the Ghana Police Service, Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), Customs, port authorities, the judiciary and other relevant institutions. It has also stressed the importance of prevention, treatment and rehabilitation alongside enforcement.
The Conference’s broader position is that tackling Ghana’s drug problem requires authorities to address both trafficking networks and the growing consumption of drugs within communities.
The Bishops are therefore urging government and other stakeholders to strengthen enforcement against the illegal supply of drugs while expanding education, prevention and rehabilitation programmes aimed at protecting young people.
The call comes at a time when the country is facing renewed scrutiny over narcotics trafficking, with the Conference warning that the drug menace poses serious consequences for Ghanaian communities and the future of the youth.