Crime

Narcotic expert: Marijuana does not cure COVID-19

The Upper West Regional Director of the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), Mr Issahaque Bakuri, has reiterated that there is no scientific evidence to show that marijuana cured coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

“Scientists across the globe are researching around the disease to see if they can discover a cure for it and smoking marijuana or any other hard drug is definitely not something they have or will recommend as a cure for the disease,” he expressed.

Mr Bukari stated that the effects of such illicit drugs on the lungs was rather dire, as it caused health complications in and around the lungs, putting the life of the smoker at risk, particularly in this era of CODVID-19 as the disease affected the lungs of its victims.

Mr Bakuri stated this in an interview with the Ghanaian Times at Wa last Friday to raise awareness on the dangers of smoking of illicit drugs as Ghana joined the rest of the world to mark the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

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The United Nations (UN) has set aside June 26 of every year to raise awareness about drug trafficking and the effect of drug abuse on the health and well being of individuals.

This year’s commemoration which hinged on, “Better knowledge for better care” aimed at improving the understanding of people on drug abuse and foster greater international cooperation for countering its impact on health, governance and security.

The Regional Director explained that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) was an active ingredient in marijuana which had adverse effects on the lungs of people who smoked the substance and led to coughing and breathing difficulties, thereby making smokers more susceptible to the contraction of COVID-19.

“Some of the youth in certain communities believe that smoking marijuana cures COVID-19 patients or protectes someone from contracting the disease. This is a very big fallacy and I will urge them to stop smoking to rather protect their lives,” he urged.

Mr Bakuri mentioned that marijuana was the most abused drug in the region because it was produced locally, making it cheaper compared to other drugs such as cocaine and heroine, which appeared to be foreign and relatively expensive.

Mr Bakuri called on stakeholders such as non-governmental organisations and the media to compliment the effort of the Commission by using their platforms to educate the public on the dangers of abusing and trafficking illicit drugs.

He also advised residents with specific emphasis on the youth in region to stay away from the abuse of drugs and encouraged those who were addicted to drugs to seek professional help.

FROM RAFIA ABDUL-RAZAK, WA

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