Pubdate: Thu, 28 Jun 2007
Source: Accra Daily Mail, The (Ghana)
Copyright: 2007sAccra Daily Mail
Contact:  http://www.accra-mail.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2869

MARIJUANA CAN'T CURE ASTHMA -- COUNSELOR

The Eastern Regional Guidance and Counselor of the Ghana Education 
Service (GES), Mr Baah Ntiri, has said there was no clinical proof 
that marijuana can cure asthma.

He said there was scientific evidence that when one took in 
marijuana, it could suppress some pains in the body for sometime but, 
it could also cause some damage to the body and advised the youth to 
avoid smoking the drug.

Mr Ntiri was answering questions from students at a forum organized 
by the Eastern Regional Chapter of the United Nations Association of 
Ghana (UNA-GH) to commemorate World Drug Abuse and Trafficking Day at 
Koforidua on yesterday.

He advised the youth to avoid using drugs of any kind and said some 
of the youth serving prison terms often claimed they were not 
conscious of their action and were not aware that their action 
carried heavy sentences.

Mr Ntiri said drug abuse could also cause students to drop out of 
school since they would need money to buy the drugs and so they would 
always like to absent themselves from school to do menial jobs to 
raise money to buy the drugs and gradually totally withdraw from school.

He called on parents to be selective in the programmes that they 
allow their children to watch on the television if they are to 
support their children to grow into useful adults.

Mr Anthony Cedric Adjei, Eastern Regional Co-ordinator of UNA-GH, 
said his organization would soon establish a herbal centre at 
Koforidua to help provide scientifically tested herbal drugs to the population.
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