Let's focus on reforming drug abusers, declare wars on drugs and stop attacking addicts - POS Foundation

Ghanaians, especially law enforcers, have been advised to concentrate on reforming drug abusers instead of arresting them, POS Foundation has underscored.

Jonathan Osei-Wusu, executive director of the Foundation, said, it was very urgent for stakeholders to prioritize the reformation of such people since that is the best way we can get rid of many drug abusers in the system.

According to him, people who are addicted to substance usage are usually classified as people with substance disorders just like any other sickness, globally. He said, people with such addictions have problems just like those who suffer from any other sicknesses like malaria etc.

"Let's remember that people who are sick of malaria are not arrested by the police, but, they usually have to see specialists before they can be cured. This is the same case as those who are addicted to drugs such as "weed' smoking. Most of them wish to stop at some point but it becomes difficult. We therefore need to focus on their reformation instead of attacking their personalities". He urged.

Mr. Osei Wusu disclosed this in an interview with the media during a sensitisation workshop for drug law enforcers and prosecution units on the Narcotics Control Commission Act 2020, Act 1019 at the Miklin Hotel over the weekend.

He said, the new narcotics control commission act suggests that severe punishment should be given to people who sell those drugs adding that, those who use the drugs should rather be helped to reform.
According to him, people in the judicial service such as judges, etc, already received their training before the police and other law enforcers.

The program was themed; "Understanding the Narcotics Control Commission Act 2020(Act 1019); The Role of Law enforcement and prosecutors in health, rights-based best practices to handling people who use drugs in the implementation of the Act".

The workshop which was organised and sponsored by the POS Foundation, was meant to enlighten participating officers on the new Narcotics Control Commission law and how they should coop with its implementation.

According to the executive director, while the old PNDC Act 236 looked at enforcement and punitive action for defaulters, the new Narcotics Control Commission Act 2020 (Act 1019) looks at it on public health and human rights perspective.

He said the new act introduced in Ghana has received lots of commendations from the international community and other organizations such as the UN ODC etc.
According to him, the new law across the world seeks to concentrate on the reformation of drug abusers since attacks on their personalities over the years had not yielded any good results.

"The entire world has now come to the realisation that the war should be on drugs and shouldn't be on people. We should find ways to help those who use drugs. Someone has been jailed for smoking a role of marijuana, but the fact is, those people have still not changed", he said.

He further expressed worry that most of these people who go to prison with only one crime, sometimes come out with additional behaviours.

"Some of these people who meet hardened criminals in the prison end up learning from them. What good have done to ourselves by jailing these people? Most of them come out being armed robbers leading to increase in crimes.

"This is why we appeal to the ministry of interior that the community service bill will be passed so that it will become the greatest punishment for people who take in drugs instead of sending them to the prisons".

He added that people who traffic drugs, sell them or produce them should rather be punished severely at the expense of those who take in such drugs.

Mr. Acrasi Sarpong, a former commissioner general of the Narcotics Control Commission and a drug policy reform advocate who played role as a facilitator for the workshop said, people who smoke weed in their rooms have their privacy just like those who take whisky or tobacco.

"It is the private life of someone to smoke weed in his room, just like people who take whisky or tobacco. But the unfortunate thing is for such people to smoke it publicly to affect others who do not want it since it can cause many diseases", he opined.

He further disclosed that some people have been addicted to the drugs intake to the extent that it becomes very difficult for them to change.

"Drug addiction has become part of some people just like sickness. Police officers will testify that some of these users usually fall sick immediately they're being arrested. Their bodies shake like never before, especially when they're put behind bars. Such people become okay the very moment they get the weed or the other drugs to smoke", he said.

According to him, people who abuse drugs such as weed smoking etc shouldn't be attacked, but rather those who sponsor its production should be made to face stiffer punishments.

He quizzed, "We're not saying this to mean that smoking weed or something is good, but the fact is that arresting and prosecuting them do not yield any results. I can tell you for a fact that both alcohol and tobacco are far dangerous than the marijuana. Why do we fail to arrest people who smoke cigarettes and take in alcohols, but chase weed smokers?"

He has however suggested that the new law must be effectively implemented to ensure that people who abuse drugs are reformed instead of getting them arrested.

He advised, "We know the Ghana police to be very intelligent. We therefore urge them to always use their intelligence to attack the root cause of these drugs instead of arresting and convicting abusers who have become addicts".

He also suggested that there should be a review to consider the health and economic value of marijuana instead of burning them to go waste when perpetrators are arrested.

Lastly, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Mr. Kofi Blagogi, said, the workshop was really going to help the police in their implementation of the new law.

According to him the IGP had already initiated a lot of reforms into the service to help it to be on top and one of such reformations is giving opportunities to some foundations like the POS Foundation and others to train more police men, basically about human rights. "This is very essential to he himself. How to handle suspects, how to go about our job and it's yielding results so far".

He said, the police in its quest to get cooperation from the society had initiated lots of policies such as various engagements to prevent them fallen into offences.

"It's not basically waiting for them to fall into offences before going to arrest them. Now lots of things are changing", he revealed.