Illicit Drugs Worth Gh?1 Million Burnt... On World Drugs Day

By Frederick Gadese-Mensah

The Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) yesterday marked the World Drugs Day with the burning of eight tonnes of confiscated illicit drugs estimated at GH?1 million at the Bondase Military Camp.

The drugs consisted cannabis (marijuana) and khart (a drug commonly grown in Ethiopia and Kenya), were burnt together with drugs released from settled court cases.

The Deputy Executive Secretary of NACOB, Mr Michael Addo, said the drugs that have been seized over the years were burnt to send a message to Ghanaians that they were illegal.

"We burn it openly to show that the laws are against them, because they are causing more harm than good, as such, we do not support its legalisation," he added.

He explained that only cannabis and khart in possession of NACOB were destroyed, and that other drugs such as cocaine are currently being used as evidence in the law courts and that when judgements are delivered they would also be burnt.

He advised parents to supervise the preparation of pepper sauce 'shito' for their wards who send them to school, because some of these students have developed the habit of lacing cannabis with other ingredients when cooking the sauce.

"Some people also place them in drinks to obtain some form of pleasure but using these drugs can cause psychosis," he added.

Mr Addo debunked the notion that cannabis can help people to study and further make them alert.

He stated that most of the drugs were seized at various points of entry and some were also placed in sacks of charcoal or bags of rice.

He advised the public to desist from abusing or using these drugs because the side effects were severe.

According to him, users of these illicit drugs, aged between 15 to 50 years, were severely addicted to them.

The event was done in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), National Security, the Ghana Police Service, the military, and representatives from the law courts.

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