Stay away from drugs and protect your future — NACOC boss tells youth

The Director-General of the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), Major General Maxwell Obuba Mantey, has urged Ghanaian youth to stay away from drug abuse.

He cautioned that emerging substances could destroy the health, education and future ambitions of the youth.

Major General Mantey was speaking at the National Youth Forum held in Accra on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, on the theme, “A Sound Youth, A Sound Nation: Your Voice. Your Future. Our Ghana.”

“If I had the opportunity to be as young as you are today, maybe I would have been on the roof. I’m not saying that being a Director-General is bad, I’m proud of it, and I will stand up for it. But you have a lot of potentials, a lot, lots more that you can achieve if you stay away from this dangerous substance,” he said.

The NACOC Director-General said the Commission is particularly concerned about the emergence of substances which he described as dangerous to users.

He cautioned young people against experimenting with such substances, saying they could cause serious damage to vital organs, including the intestines, kidneys and liver.

He also urged young people struggling with drug addiction to seek professional help rather than conceal their challenges for fear of being stigmatised.

He said NACOC’s mandate goes beyond arrests and seizures to include prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and recovery.

He said the fight requires a collective effort involving the youth, NACOC, the Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment, the Ministry of Health and other relevant agencies.