Tramadol Only Destroys People

The Social Welfare and Community Department (SWCD) of the Tema West Municipal Assembly (TWMA) has organized a sensitization programme to educate the adolescent on the dangers of Tramadol intake.

The programme, which is the first of its kind since the establishment of the Municipality in March, was also to educate the over one thousand adolescent participants on the need to ensure healthy practices in order to grow into responsible adults.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the sidelines of the programme at the Presbyterian Church, Batsonaa, the Unit Head, Community Development, SWCD, Mr. Alex Tetteh, bemoaned the influential role of social media in the spread of irresponsible behaviour including use of Tramadol.

Mr. Tetteh said, 'Our generation is so much exposed to social media that our children want to experiment a lot of things that come on these platforms, and that is also how the abuse of the drug came to be prevalent.'

He called on all schools within the Municipality to highlight education on the negative effects of use of Tramadol, using the same social media to fight it.

He asked churches to join in the fight to eradicate the illicit use of Tramadol by consciously teaching and preaching its bad effects from the pulpit since most of the young people engaged in such practices or were potential users even as church goers.

The Focal Person for Adolescent Health in the Tema West Municipality, Ms. Cynthia Adaakwa, admonished parents to stop insulting their wards frequently even in public, adding that 'we are trying to tell parents that at this stage, the adolescent knows what shyness is, so find a good way to correct them and let them be your friend.'

Ms. Adaakwa observed that if one listened to the adolescent, they would know and appreciate that fact there was someone who cared for them.

'It's about time we understood that most of them need love and care so that they would be willing to confide in us, and that would be the opportunity to win them from vices like abuse of drugs.'

The Assembly Member for the Batsonaa Electoral Area, Mr. Joe Boaben Twumasi, in response to why the youth indulged in such practices, cited low esteem as a major factor that affected the youth negatively.

He therefore called on educationists and parents to develop the sense of pride and confidence in children as they climbed the educational ladder, observing that 'those who found themselves not fitting perfectly in society end up becoming abusers of such drugs.'

Tramadol or Tramol is a man-made narcotic analgesic for managing moderate to severe pain during surgical operations and is sold as a prescription drug.