Drug Abuse: Pay Attention to Children – NACOB

The Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) has urged parents to take up full responsibility in helping shape the lives of their children as Ghana joins the rest of the world to mark International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking today, Tuesday, 26 June 2018.

The day is set aside by the UN to raise awareness about the effects of drug abuse and illicit trafficking on the individual, the community and the world at large.

The theme for this year’s World Drug Day is: ‘Listen First – Listening to children and youth is the first step to help them grow healthy and safe’, a theme focused on addressing the general concerns of children and the youth in the society as well as throwing more light on parents to take up their full responsibility in helping shape the lives of our youth.

NACOB, in a statement said this year’s celebration would address the need for parents, guardians, and the community to cultivate the habit of listening to children and the youth to be abreast with their needs, concerns, emotions and all that pertains to their general wellbeing.

In view of this, parents, guardians, the clergy and the community have been encouraged to monitor the daily activities of their children, the friends they keep, what they watch on social media and frequent their schools to ask of the performance and behaviour of their children etc.

“When parents and their children become sensitive to each other’s feelings, it will go a long way to build mutual trust and confidence leading the children to naturally preserve their family bonds,” the statement said.

According to the world drug report (UNODC) 2017 about 190,000 people lost their lives to drug abuse and a higher number of them also suffered from drug use disorders and its related diseases such as HIV, Hepatitis B&C and Tuberculosis.

Also, NACOB is cautioning the general public especially the youth about the excessive abuse of tramadol and cough mixtures containing components of codeine as they give similar effects of narcotics substance.

Source: ClassFMonline