-BY Issah Olegor
The Paramount Chief of the Buipe Traditional Area and Vice President of the National House of Chiefs, Buipewura Abdulai Jinapor II, has called on traditional leaders to treat opioid abuse as a national security threat and partner with authorities to protect Ghana’s future.
According to Buipewura Jinapor, the abuse of opioids and other hard drugs poses a major threat to national security, and traditional authorities must take the lead in the fight against drug abuse within their jurisdictions.
“The sale and usage of these hard drugs must be taken seriously, beyond how we currently view it. It is a security issue, and the earlier we recognize it as such, the better for us as a country,” Buipewura Jinapor emphasized.
He stressed that traditional authorities have a critical role to play in addressing drug abuse, saying, “Chiefs must collaborate with security agencies to clamp down on the menace.”
“We must see this fight as a shared responsibility and endeavor to report both the sellers and users of hard drugs.”
Beyond Unemployment
Buipewura Jinapor also disagreed with the notion that unemployment is the sole reason young people engage in drug abuse.
“There are vast virgin lands across many parts of the country, but the youth are not interested in farming. Traditional authorities must freely allocate lands to the youth to encourage agricultural ventures,” he suggested.
A Growing Concern
The increasing surge in drug usage among young people has become a major obstacle to Ghana’s sustainable growth.
The Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, recently reaffirmed the government’s commitment to combating drug abuse and illicit trafficking to create a safer and drug-free environment in the country.
