SHS student caught with ‘wee tea bag’ as NACOC warns of drug abuse in schools
According to him, the worrying trend is no longer limited to senior high schools, as basic school students are also getting involved.
The Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) has raised fresh concerns about the creative ways drugs are being smuggled into schools, revealing that marijuana is now being packaged in tea bag form to target students.
Deputy Director-General of NACOC, Mr. Alexander Twum-Barimah, disclosed that a first-year senior high school student in the Eastern Region was recently found with one such “wee tea bag” concealed in his school bag.
“I went to Asamankese in the Eastern Region and during my conversation with the District Chief Executive, he mentioned that a form one student was coming to school and among his belongings, a wee tea bag was found,” Mr. Twum-Barimah said in an interview with Woezor TV on Sunday, September 28, 2025.
According to him, the worrying trend is no longer limited to senior high schools, as basic school students are also getting involved.
He cited the case of a 16-year-old boy caught with two sticks of marijuana, which he described as alarming.
“There was a person that we contacted at that time and we found a 16-year-old boy. He carried two sticks of marijuana. Sixteen? Two sticks. Why should that happen?” he questioned.
District assemblies, he revealed, have begun calling for NACOC offices in their jurisdictions due to the growing scale of the issue. NACOC has already expanded its presence to Asamankese District, Adansi Municipality, and Ashanti Akim District to boost local enforcement.
Mr. Twum-Barimah also disclosed that the Commission had shut down six drug stores and two pharmacies for illegally selling unapproved high-dose tramadol.
“As I sit here, we have closed not less than six drug stores and two pharmacies. We will continue to close more,” he stated.
He clarified that tramadol is not outlawed in Ghana, but its strength is strictly regulated.
“Tramadol usage is not illegal. But by law, you can use 50 mg, 100 mg maximum, and that should be on prescription by a physician. Dosages above 100 mg are not permitted,” he explained.
Recounting a personal experience, the NACOC Deputy Director-General narrated how a motor rider suspected to be high on drugs crashed into his car while overspeeding.
He stressed that NACOC, under the leadership of Brigadier General Mantey, is determined to confront the problem.
“We have a leadership that is determined to do what is right, and even if we cannot eradicate drug use completely, we will bring it to the barest minimum,” he affirmed.
