The Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) says national data show some children first use drugs from as young as seven years old.
SNCO Godlove Vanden-Bossche, Head of Demand Reduction at NACOC's Western Regional Command, gave the figures at a youth workshop at Diabene Senior High Technical School near Sekondi on 4 November 2026.
He named alcohol, cannabis, shisha and cigarettes among commonly abused substances among young people, and linked early use to bullying, grief, emotional distress and peer pressure.