Ghana Is First Highest In Marijuana Consumption In Africa

Mr Daniel Akwasi Amankwa, Divisional Supervisor for Demand Education at the Narcotics Control Board has disclosed that Ghana was the first highest consumer of marijuana in Africa. Mr Amakwah said Ghana was, however, ranked third in the world, and was captured in a United Nations Report a year ago. He made these disclosures at the opening of a two-day forum on non-custodial sentencing in Ghana, aimed among others, to de-congest the country�s prisons, and make conditions there better and internationally acceptable. The forum was organised by the Ministry of the Interior, in collaboration with the Judicial Service, the Ministry of Justice and Attorney-General, the Ghana Prisons Service, with support from the Narcotics Control Board. Other collaborators were the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations International Children and Education Fund, the British High Commission, and the Ghana Bar Association. Mr Amakwah suggested the adoption of a drug court system to be adopted in Ghana, because the United States of America and more than 20 other countries, including Australia and New Zealand, have adopted the drug court system which has the ability of reducing the high number of prisoners, thus helping to de-congest the prisons.