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Ghana is sitting on a time bomb as far as the growing spate of abuse of the Tramadol drug is concerned and only immediate action on the part of government and relevant stakeholders in the health industry can rescue the country’s youth from any further destruction than the drug has already caused, Editor-in-Chief of the New Crusading Guide, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako has said.

Expressing grave concern over the devastating effects the drug is having on the lives of the youth, Kweku Baako emphasized the need for urgent action to prevent any further loss of lives or destruction of the country’s youth.

Recounting his youthful days, Kweku Baako confessed on Joy News’ Newsfile program how some ‘big men’ today were involved in such practices in previous times but were rescued by the decision to backtrack and desist taking those drugs.

“The days when we were young, a similar thing used to happen here but this is more dangerous because there is a linkage to terrorist groups and they buy them in their thousands, it gives you courage and you go out there to do whatever you want to do……I find it very very serious, the abuse”

“Something quick must be done, some of us were rescued. In the late 60’s coming to about the late 70’s, there were all sort of things, mantrax, LSD which we used to combine and then we go and buy our wee and put together, you can do anything, we were rescued by re-directing our focus. Some have become diplomats, ministers, heads of states etc. but that was then, now the population is bigger, terrorism is on the frontline, criminal organisations have developed. I’m not too sure if we don’t take quick action whether we can rescue our youth like some of us were rescued”.

There is therefore the need for collaboration on the sub-regional and international front for the issue to be tackled completely he suggested.

It’s going to need a sub-regional and international collaboration to deal with the thing because it’s like the cocaine and heroine etc. that’s how its becoming.

There is the need for the West African countries to get together, the UN itself is putting up some preventive measures for us to get in terms of collaboration.