A team from the Education and Prevention Department of the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) have educated personnel on the effects of drug abuse at the Air Force Headquarters (AFHQ) on Thursday 25 April 2024.

Delivering her lecture, the Non-Commissioned Officer of the Education and Prevention Department, Miss Clara Botchway explained that the motive of the lecture was to inform personnel of the risks associated with drug abuse.

She added that, drug abuse is the use of both legal and illegal drugs for pleasure or non- medical reasons and such drugs tends to modify one’s cognitive behaviour, mood, perception and motor function.

She indicated that some drugs are hallucinogen in nature and these drugs distorts one’s perceptions, likewise making an individual to feel depressed which can ultimately lead to death.

According to Miss Botchway, acts such as smoking of shisha, inhaling of glue, ecstasy, marijuana, cocaine, gasoline and aerosol, cough syrups, alcohol and kush are detrimental to an individual’s health hence advised personnel to refrain from them.

As part of the lecture, she highlighted on some statistics which shows that in 2020, the Commission seized a total of 8,704 kilograms (kg) of illicit drugs, in 2021 it moved up to about 15,458 kg and saw a substantial surge with a record-breaking total of 59,900 kg of illegal drugs seized in 2022.

On the issue of arrests, she mentioned that the agency apprehended 150 individuals involved in drug related activities between 2020 to 2022.

 Miss Clara Botchway therefore urged personnel to report people who deal in narcotics drugs to the law enforcement agencies in order to reduce the rate at which people abuse drugs.