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,
It is often said that a healthy nation is a wealthy nation. However, this saying becomes worrying when the health of citizens is threatened by the conditions under which the food they consume daily is sold.
In Ghana, the conditions under which food is sold is quite disturbing. Over the years, I have observed that the environments where food is prepared and sold are often unhygienic.
In many cases, containers holding food such as rice and waakye are left uncovered or not properly covered, exposing them to contamination.
While many Ghanaians paid little attention in the past to the conditions under which food was sold, the narrative seems to be changing in recent years.
I recall an incident during my days in Senior High School (S.H.S.) when my friends and I went out to buy food. At one location, some of us chose not to buy because we assumed the food would be expensive due to how neat the place looked.
Unfortunately, we ended up purchasing food from a different place that was somewhat unhygienic. We overlooked the poor conditions because we believed the quantity offered was better than at the cleaner location.
However, I am certain that my friends and I would not repeat such a mistake today, as we now understand the health implications of that decision.
While public education is important in addressing this issue, I believe it is time for regulatory and law enforcement agencies, such as the Food and Drug Authority (FDA), to crack the whip on food sellers and vendors who operate in unhygienic environments and conditions.
As citizens, we must also be mindful of where we buy our food to protect ourselves and our families from diseases and illnesses. We should choose ‘quality’ over ‘quantity’ and prioritize our health.
From Syram
Oyarifa
Dear Editor,
I write to express concern and call for improved security measures before and after every football match.
The recent robbery attack that led to the tragic death of a player, on their return from a Match day 29 game against Samartex, is both shocking and heartbreaking.
The incident, which reportedly occurred around 10:30 p.m., highlights the growing risks faced by players and team officials while traveling.
Football is meant to unite and entertain, not to expose lives to danger. It is therefore imperative that authorities, the Ghana Football Association, and security agencies put in place adequate protection for teams, especially during late-night travels.
I strongly urge all stakeholders to treat this matter with urgency to prevent such unfortunate incidents from recurring.
From Eugene Ampiaw
Accra
