Editorial
Stay away from hard drugs
Ghana, like many other countries, is faced with a number of social problems including drug addiction among segments of its people.
Even though drug addiction is often identified with the youth, it is a social problem that can be traced to both the young and the old. It is a social problem that needs to be tackled and eliminated from our society.
People normally keep to the use of drugs when they face certain problems in their lives. Some of the problems are breakages in marriage, leaving the children uncared for, lack of parental control, peer pressure and so on.
When young people are faced with problems in society, they tend to make use of drugs as a way of making them forget about such problems. Unfortunately, the drugs are not able to eliminate the problems and in the process, they tend to go for more of the drugs when they feel that they are now disillusioned.
Some of the hard drugs used are cannabis (wee), cocaine, heroine and many others. In the process, they become used to the drugs in such a way that they now find it difficult to keep away from them.
When this happens, we say that they have reached addiction level.
The effects of these drugs are that they distort the lifestyles of those who use them, making them become violent even in situations where they could have remained calm. This is a dangerous effect that must be eliminated from society.
Among the youth who are addicted to hard drugs, the future is bleak because whatever they do is based on fantasy and excitement but not on their real selves. As a result, many of them keep to social vices such as stealing or armed robbery, rape and general misbehaviour in society.
To solve this problem, parents will have to be more responsible and start the training of these children right from infancy until they reach adulthood. It is also important for parents to keep away from drugs, so as not to tempt their children to go into that negative practice.
We must do our best as a nation to guide the youth to become responsible in behaviour, so that negative peer pressure from any quarters cannot emerge to influence the young ones.
In all, society as a whole must be very vigilant so that we can put an end to this canker in the country. Our youth should not allow drug addiction to sap their energy and ruin their future.
Dear Editor,
I wish to use this esteemed platform to urge the traditional councils of Osu and La to call for independent investigation into the recent demolition exercise at Kaajaano.
The exercise rendered hundreds homeless.
Information about the reason for the demolition has been scanty with those desiring to know feeding heavily on social media posts.
One particular name –Jato, has been associated with it but under whose instruction the exercise was carried is also not known.
Sadly, instead of getting to know who ordered the demolition and for what reasons, traditional authorities of Osu and La have been embroiled in a tug-of-war over ownership of the said land.
This is premature. At this moment, they should call for investigation into the exercise to know the people behind it.
When that is done, then discussions about the owners of the site can begin. That would end the posture of the two neighbouring town which has the potential to turn into something else.
Ataa Osa Mensah,
Osu
Dear Editor,
I wish to use your respected platform to draw the attention of the Bank of Ghana (BoG) to the behaviour of traders and some drivers about the use of lower denomination coins, specifically the 20 and 10 pesewas.
About two weeks ago, I read in your sister newspaper, The Ghanaian Times about this problem and the caution that followed from the BoG and some economic analysts.
The warning they gave was that the continuous rejection of the notes could create pricing problems which can eventually affect inflation.
I thought that would put to bed that practice or refusal to accept the coins when given out as change or use to pay for particular service.
Unfortunately, the problem still persist among traders, drivers, customers and passengers alike. Only last week, there was as altercation in the Accra Central area where a woman refused to accept five 20 pesewas note totaling one cedi.
As the argument continued, the trader decided not to sell to the customer again after by-standers explained to her that it was still a legal tender and those that refused it could become offenders.
This is an issue the BoG and other regulatory agencies must go and explain to the people and let them know that it is unlawful not to accept a currency that is still in use.
It nothing was done, it could create a much more serious problems.
Mary Osei Badu,
Swedru
