Khebab lovers nationwide are being warned by the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) following reports of some vendors lacing their meat with marijuana (weed).

NACOC’s Deputy Director, Lawyer Twum Barimah, issued this warning on Wednesday, June 25, during an interview on Adom FM’s “Burning Issues” program.

“I want to especially caution young ladies who accompany their friends to pubs and eat kebab without knowing the source,” he said. “Some of these kebab vendors lace the meat with weed, and after consuming it, your body may start reacting in strange ways—leaving you confused and possibly endangered.”

He made the remarks in line with NACOC’s activities to mark World Drug Day, aiming to raise awareness about the dangers of drug abuse, especially among the youth.

His remarks, he said, come on the back of reports suggesting that some kebab sellers, particularly the ones at bars and pubs that operate at pubs, mix cannabis with the meat they serve.

He expressed concern over the alarming increase in drug abuse by the Ghanaian youth population, calling for the implementation of immediate measures, warning that if the trend continues unchecked, Ghana may face a crisis shortly with an unreliable youth population.

“We are witnessing an alarming rate of drug abuse among young people. If we don’t take action now, in the next five years, we may not have dependable youth to lead the nation,” he cautioned.

Citing NACOC's commitment to eliminate the spread of illegal drugs in the country and abuse by the youth, Mr. Barimah assured the public that his outfit would adopt every machinery to cutting off the supply routes through which these substances enter the system.

“Our core mission is to eliminate illicit drugs from our society. We’re tackling it from the source, because if we can block the supply, we can prevent the abuse,” he concluded.

NACOC has made several interceptions this year. In April, the watchdogs reported a wave of cocaine busts and other drug-related arrests.

June has been the most action-packed month so far, with a major drug incineration exercise on June 20 at Bundase Military Camp, where over 16,000 kilograms of narcotics were destroyed, and a June 24 swoop in Akyem Oda and Akroso that led to 14 arrests and the closure of three illegal chemical stores.