‘Adolescent Parliament’ urges IGP to disband ‘wee’ smoking, peddling joints in Sunyani

The 'Adolescent Parliament' in Sunyani has called on the Inspector General of Police to facilitate the disbandment of pockets of Indian hemp smoking and peddling joints in the Sunyani Municipality.

At an adolescent community forum in Sunyani, the parliament said the growing trend of Indian hemp smoking and peddling among some of the young people was assuming a disturbing proportion.

That, Master Daniel Frimpong-Sarkodie, the 'Speaker' of the Adolescent Parliament noted, was contributing to crime wave, sexual abuses and rising teenage pregnancy in the municipality.

The Global Media Foundation (GloMeF), a media advocacy non-government organisation (NGO) inaugurated the 'parliament' under the Resilient City for Adolescents (RC4A) project it is implementing in the Municipality.

GloMeF is non-profit organisation, which specialises in the usage of social, and behaviour change communication, right and evidence-based research approaches to facilitate inclusive development programmes targeting young people, women, children and other vulnerable groups

Master Frimpong-Sarkodie, specifically, mentioned pockets of 'wee' smoking joints emerging at the Nana Bosoma Central market, Sunyani Zongo community and the Sunyani Newtown enclaves, worrying that the activities of the criminals were having a huge and devastating toll on the adolescents.

He expressed regret that many of the young people (boys and girls) were now addicted to substance abuse, affecting their mental and thinking faculties, underlining the need for the police administration to identify and disband those 'wee' joints in the interest of the youth.

Nana Konama Dompe I, the Kyidomhemaa (sub-queen) of the Sunyani Traditional Area, also expressed concern about the menace, saying the situation remained worse at the Nana Bosoma Central Market.

She observed that activities of the criminals threatened the security of the traders at the market and appealed to the police to do something immediately.

Mr Kwaku Ayittey, the Assembly Member for the Sunyani Area One Electoral Area, also raised concern about drug abuse, saying now many parents could not control their adolescents.

He said sexual perversion was also high among the youth in the municipality and called on stakeholders to do something before the situation was out of hand.

The Adolescent Parliament leads the adolescent movement and gives them a voice in the decision-making process, as part of the implementation of the RC4A project, expected to directly benefit 1,500 and indirectly reach out to 3000 boys and girls.

The Swiss Botnar Foundation under its Resilient City for Adolescents Initiative is funding the implementation of the 300,000-pound sterling project, which seeks to improve the lives of adolescents in the country.

GNA