The Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) has called for a collective national effort to tackle drug abuse, urging schools, churches and the public to play a more active role in preventing substance use, particularly among young people.

Deputy Director-General of NACOC, Alexander Twum-Barimah, said the fight against drugs cannot be left to the Commission alone because of its limited manpower.

Speaking on Joy FM's Super Morning Show on Thursday, July 30, during a discussion on Ghana's growing drug crisis, Mr Twum-Barimah said stronger collaboration from educational institutions, religious organisations and the public is needed to reduce drug abuse across the country.

"This fight cannot just be left for NACOC. We are just a handful compared to the population of the country," he said.

"If every other person agrees and comes to share the position that we are having, we can do this together."

He warned that drug abuse affects not only users but also innocent members of the public.

"You drive peacefully, and you'll be in traffic. Someone who is on a high level of drugs... can also take you very close to God. That is the problem," he said.

As part of efforts to strengthen drug prevention in schools, Mr Twum-Barimah revealed that NACOC this year organised its first nationwide engagement with guidance and counselling coordinators from senior high schools across all 16 regions.

"This year, for the very first time across the 16 regions, we brought together all the counselling and guidance officers in the second-cycle institutions and had a conference with them," he said.

He explained that all 16 regional commands also held similar programmes in June to mark World Drug Day, adding that the initiative would become a regular feature.

"It's something that will not just end there. We are going to have it very often to ensure that they can assist these younger ones who are with them at the second-cycle level," he said.

The NACOC Deputy Director-General encouraged members of the public to report suspected drug-related activities, saying information received from citizens has been valuable to the Commission's work.

"There have been numerous instances where referrals have been brought to me through our emails. People send emails from different locations reporting drug situations within their communities," he said.

He assured whistleblowers that their identities would remain confidential.

"I can assure them that anybody who makes a report to us, your identity will forever be concealed and we will never expose you to any person," he stated.

Mr Twum-Barimah also called on churches to incorporate drug education into their youth programmes, arguing that religious institutions have a critical role to play in preventing substance abuse.

"The issue of churches also focusing on the youth is extremely important because every church in this country has youth groups or youth wings," he said.

He questioned whether churches were doing enough to educate young people about the dangers of drugs.

"How often do we engage these youth groups and educate them on drug issues or the prevalence of drugs within their communities and schools?" he asked.

"It cannot just be everything biblical or scripture. We should also look at the other things because all these things are part and parcel of our living, and because of that, we need to caution them and guide them."

Mr Twum-Barimah disclosed that NACOC intends to engage the Christian Council to build stronger partnerships with churches in the fight against drug abuse.

"We had a plan to meet the Christian Council, and it's one thing that we are going to bring up when we meet them, for them to join hands with us so that we can do it well," he said.

The Deputy Director-General also revealed that NACOC is advocating legislation to give the Commission stronger legal authority to conduct drug testing in different sectors of the country.

"One thing that I also mention is that we are pushing, and I know government is pushing, that there should even be legal backing for us to be testing almost everybody on every other thing," he said.