ANY PLANS FOR DRUG ADDICTS?

Over the last couple of months, the good people of Ghana have been
fed a daily breakfast of cocaine and other narcotics related issues,
which began with the East Legon bust, through the MV Benjamin saga,
to the final submission of the Georgina Wood committee report.

To further dampen appetites, The Statesman revealed in its Monday
October 2 issue, a study by the UN which indicated that Ghana now
leads Africa's new status as a hub for drug-trafficking networks.

It is gratifying to note that Government has put in place mechanisms
to ensure that this unenviable accolade is firmly and permanently
reversed. It also behoves on all of us, irrespective of political
affiliation, to lend a hand in this all important national image
redemption exercise.

However, as we all rise up in righteous indignation at this affront
to our national sovereignty, let us pause to consider the
ramifications of this tidal wave of narcotic drugs into our country.

According to Stephen Brown of the Drugs Intelligence Unit of
Interpol: "Drugs are not only moving through these countries, but
staying there."

He goes on to say that, "every country has the potential to be a
trafficking country, then it"s only a matter of years before it
develops into a user country."

Thus, it only stands to reason that since narcotics have been passing
steadily through our shores over the last decade or so, we are
definitely in the class of user countries by now.

What this means is that we are now a nation with a burgeoning number
of citizens, especially the youth, who are firmly addicted to
cocaine, heroin and other mood altering substances.

This fact is clearly borne out by the rising levels of violent crime
on our streets, and the increasing number of school demonstrations
against authority, which have assumed a decidedly more destructive
and sinister hue.

There is the need for us as a people to wise up to this scourge of
narcotics, and to craft a more holistic policy towards its eradication.

This means that even as we continue to ruthlessly pursue those
individuals who choose to make a living out of these vile substances,
we should also make it of utmost importance for us to also lend a
hand to those who have fallen victim to these evil substances and to
give them hope for the future, by rehabilitating them and ensuring
their recovery.

The fact that the youth, who are going to be our future leaders, are
being weaned on a culture of drugs, is enough cause for alarm. What
is even more worrisome is the fact that we do not have any mechanisms
in place, to enable drug addicts who have the will and the
inclination to reform, to do so.

In Western Europe and America, governments have instituted programmes
which serve to wean the youth off the culture of drugs, into more
productive endeavours.

Though the argument may be raised that we are not even in the
position to provide normal healthcare, given our scarce resources, to
talk of caring for drug addicts.

There is no gainsaying that drug abuse is a canker that cuts across
all forms of social or class barriers. It is no respecter of persons,
and tends to sap away the energy of the youth, thus rendering them,
to all intents and purposes virtually moribund. In this way, our
developmental goals as a nation are severely hampered and we as a
people find our progress effectively curtailed.

We believe that the Attorney General should have a second look at the
recent amendment to Act 29, which has basically added drugs to the
category of offences in which bail cannot be granted.

The danger here is that the law does not discriminate against users.
Thus a situation is likely to arise where we will end up putting
people behind bars for being users of narcotics.

Juxtapose this against our present legal system, where cases can go
on for over a year before the trial proper begins.

What we will have, will be situations where people will be
incarcerated for long periods for misdemeanours which will only serve
as a complete waste of our scarce resources. Not to mention the
attendant overcrowding in our prisons, which Government is already
grappling with, and an increase in the workload of our already
overworked policemen.