The Director-General of the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), Major General Maxwell Obuba, has raised concerns over the increasingly young age at which some people in Ghana begin using drugs, warning that the trend poses a serious threat to the country’s youth.
According to him, a 2025 study by the University of Ghana School of Public Health found that 10% of people who use drugs started before the age of 15, while 54% began before turning 19.
Major General Obuba said the figures highlight the extent to which drug use, particularly opioid misuse, has penetrated some communities and exposed young people to its harmful effects at an early age.
He made the remarks on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, in Kumasi during the International Youth Day celebration, where he called for stronger preventive measures, public education and support systems to address drug use among young people.
“Those figures should make us pause and think about how deeply opioid use and misuse have penetrated some of our communities,” he said.
The NACOC Director-General stressed the need for greater attention to prevention, arguing that interventions must begin early enough to protect children and adolescents from developing substance use disorders.
He said families, schools, communities and relevant state institutions all have a role to play in educating young people about the dangers associated with drug use and ensuring that those at risk receive the necessary support.
Major General Obuba also disclosed that 1,179 people received treatment for substance use disorders in 2025 through 30 treatment centres across the country.
He noted that 88.5% of those who received treatment were between 20 and 44 years old, highlighting the significant burden of substance use among people in their productive years.
The figures, he said, reinforce the need for Ghana to combine enforcement measures with prevention, education, treatment and rehabilitation to tackle the drug-use problem effectively.
Credit: Citi Newsroom