Ghana to decriminalize narcotics?
Reformers want the government to focus on rehabilitation of drug users rather than on legal penalties
Friday, March 11, 2016
The United Nations is due to hold a special session on drug policy in April and one of Ghana's most famous sons, Kofi Annan, has already weighed into a heated debate. Annan, who served as UN Secretary General from 1997 to 2006, is a member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy. The executive secretary of Ghana's Narcotics Control Board, Akrasi Sarpong, is a longtime campaigner for the drug policy reform. His board is tasked with tracking down and detaining people who deal in, or use, illicit substances. Sarpong believes the confiscation of narcotics and jailing of the dealers has little impact on drug use. (See also: Ghana: The journey to decriminalization)