Kumasi, Sept 28, GNA - Blue Cross Society (BCS), a humanitarian organization of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG), has launched a campaign to stop drug abuse and alcoholism among the youth. Mr Appiah Sarfo-Kantanka, an Executive Member of the Society, said the Church could simply not remain impassive as young people drift into lifestyles that are not just unhelpful to their health but their future and that of the nation.

The high rate at which the youth is becoming addicted to drugs and alcohol should be a source of worry to everybody, he added. The campaign involves holding of education workshops, public talks and the use of the mass media to draw attention to the dangers of narcotic drugs misuse and excessive drinking. Addressing one of such workshops at Bantama in Kumasi, Mr Sarfo-Kantanka, who is a pharmacist, said it was time the church, educational institutions and community leaders joined hands to fight the menace.

He said it was important to help the young people to accept that they have a responsibility to themselves to stay healthy. The Reverend Emmanuel Omari, Bantama District Youth Minister of the Church, said substance abuse and alcoholism amounted to indiscipline and that they were destructive to the human body and career development.

He urged the youth to be self-disciplined and to resist the temptation of taking to narcotic drugs and alcohol. Parents, he said, must also ensure that they counsel and protect their children from peer group influence.