General News of Tuesday, 2 July 2019

Source: mynewsgh.com

Ghana’s rehab centers only give drug addicts ‘blue-blue’ – Former BBC Journalist

Paa Joe Odonkor Paa Joe Odonkor

A former Ghanaian Journalist with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and ex-drug baron, Paa Joe Odonkor has lamented that Ghana’s rehabilitation worsen the woes of drug addicts by subjecting them to only Phenytoin Sodium popularly known ‘blue-blue’

According to him, the psychiatric facilities lack the needed drugs to reform drug addicts who are willing to go through the rehabilitation process.

Unlike the Scandinavian countries where they have facilities which cater for drug addicts, Ghanaian facilities give legatine which only makes their necks stiff and turn them into blue-blue (none-entities).

Paa Donkor who sniffed cocaine for 26 years said drug addicts are unable to fit back into society when they are given such medicines.

In a video interview with SVTV Africa sighted by MyNewsGh.com, the ex-drug addict said, ‘The Scandinavian countries have facilities which cater for drug addicts. But in Ghana, they will give you legatine and your neck becomes stiff, you become blue-blue before you realize you have gone from bad to worse’.

The once fabulously rich journalist called on society not to shun drug addicts but to draw them closer and reform them to be better persons saying drug addiction should be a problem for every Ghanaian.

According to him, when drug addicts run out of stock they can easily break into nearby cars to steal money just to buy drugs adding that they can never be okay until they sniff the cocaine.

The ex-drug lord said its frustration when drug addicts are despised and humiliated by society.

Paa Joe Odonkor observed that the worst thing that can happen to a person is not heart breaks but when the fellow is hooked unto drugs advising the youth to desist from drugs for it will only make them miserable persons in society.

‘The worst thing that can happen to you is not when you get a broken heart but when you are hooked to drugs. You become a slave to drugs, people will despise you, your family will get humiliated, drugs will make you mad, after quitting it people will say once a drug addict always drug addict,’ he said in the interview sighted by MyNewsGh.com.

Paa Donkor who has become a pauper due to drugs called on the government to stock rehabilitation facilities with the needed drugs that will make drug addicts fit back into society without becoming ‘bulubulu’.