NACOC Intensifies Anti-Drug Campaign With Workshop For Senior High School Counsellors In Bono East Region.

The Bono East Regional Command of the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) has intensified its anti-drug campaign with a capacity-building workshop for guidance and counselling coordinators from Senior High Schools across the region.

The seminar, held as part of activities marking the 2026 International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, equipped participants with modern strategies focused on early identification, counselling, and rehabilitation of students involved in substance abuse, shifting the approach from punishment to rehabilitation.

Addressing the counsellors, SNCO Portia Abuwie Demuyakor, Bono East Regional Commander of NACOC, reiterated that the fight against illicit drugs requires collective action, stressing that drug abuse affects individuals, families, communities, and the nation’s development.

She underscored the critical role schools play in shaping the lives of adolescents and positioned counsellors as frontline defenders against illicit drug use.

SNCO Demuyakor criticised the common practice in many schools of responding to drug-related incidents with suspension, expulsion, or public humiliation, describing such measures as counterproductive.

According to her, the Bono East Regional Command of NACOC had over the past two weeks embarked on radio discussions and community outreach programmes to sensitise the public to the harmful effects of illicit drugs and the significance of World Drug Day.

In an interview, the Bono East Regional Director of Education, Rev. Father Kingsley Dwamena Asante, disclosed that the Education Directorate decided to collaborate with NACOC to enhance the capacity of counsellors so as to help them handle issues that sometimes overwhelm them.

Rev. Fr. Asante issued a strong call to parents, warning that some adults unknowingly contribute to the problem by sending children to buy cigarettes, alcohol, and other intoxicating substances.

He called on parents and guardians to stop using children as errand runners for harmful substances and to actively monitor their children’s associations and activities.

The Regional Education Director noted that the seminar marks the beginning of a broader engagement, with trained counsellors expected to cascade the knowledge to teachers and parents, fostering a united front involving families, schools, and communities.

Some of the participants who spoke to the media shared their experiences about how impactful the programme has been. They said it had expanded their scope and would help them tackle issues affecting students effecting.

The initiative reflects NACOC’s commitment to shifting from enforcement-only approaches to more holistic, preventive, and rehabilitative strategies in the fight against illicit drugs.

The Commission has indicated that it will roll out an intensive anti-drug abuse campaign across school campuses nationwide.

Source: Adwumapa FM-TECHIMAN

Filed by:Nana Akua Agyeiwaa Kodie.