The Director-General of the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), Brig. Gen. Maxwell Obuba Mantey, has stressed that Ghana’s 2025 drug data shows enforcement alone is insufficient to address the country’s growing drug problem.

He made the remarks in an opening address as a special guest at the University of Ghana School of Public Health, where he launched an Executive Short Course on the comprehensive management of persons who use drugs, with a focus on human rights, policy, and public health approaches.

Brig. Gen. Mantey said that while NACOC recorded a 197 per cent increase in drug-related arrests in 2025, seized nearly 1,500 kilograms of narcotic substances, disrupted trafficking networks, and expanded operations to 40 new district commands across all 16 regions, these gains represent only one aspect of the national response.

According to him, the data also reveal a growing treatment burden that cannot be ignored. In 2025, a total of 1,179 people sought care for substance use disorders at affiliated treatment centres.

He noted that among them were persons who inject drugs, a group highly vulnerable to HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C, underscoring the need for harm-reduction interventions such as needle exchange programmes and opioid substitution therapy.

He further observed that most of those seeking treatment were aged between 25 and 29, indicating that substance use is significantly affecting young adults during their most productive years.

Brig. Gen. Mantey cautioned that such figures should not be treated merely as criminal justice statistics, but as critical public health indicators requiring a coordinated, evidence-based and rights-based response.

“Under the Narcotics Control Commission Act, prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, reintegration, and drug demand reduction remain core parts of NACOC’s mandate alongside enforcement. For this reason, collaboration among health professionals, legal practitioners, law enforcement agencies, policymakers, and civil society is essential to effectively address the drug problem,” he stated.

He commended the University of Ghana School of Public Health for providing a platform that brings together professionals from multiple sectors to deepen understanding and develop practical solutions.

Reaffirming NACOC’s commitment to a balanced approach, he said the Commission will continue to strengthen both enforcement and health-based interventions while promoting evidence-driven and rights-respecting drug policies.

Participants were encouraged to actively engage in the five-day programme, ask critical questions, and develop actionable strategies for implementation within their institutions and communities.

He described the course as timely and essential to Ghana’s public health and development agenda.

Delivering the keynote address, the Chief Executive Officer of the Mental Health Authority, Dr. Eugene Dordoye, also called for a shift toward a health-centred response to substance use disorders.

He stressed that substance use disorder is a medical condition and not a moral failing, adding that punitive systems alone cannot address the challenge.