Drug Use in Greater Accra, Ghana: Pilot Study

Abstract

The goal of this exploratory study of drug use in greater Accra, Ghana, is to expand our understanding of the rapidly changing drug problem in Africa. Until the last decade, Ghana, with its excellent transportation links, was only a transit point in the narcoscape. Drug use was confined to Indian hemp or marijuana use. This exploratory study, conducted in the summer of 1996, confirms that such drugs as heroin and cocaine, as well as psychotropic substances, are now diverted for local consumption. This conclusion is based on a survey of 117 former and current drug users in the greater Accra area. The portrait of the typical drug user that emerges from this pilot study is a 30-year old, working class or underclass male who uses cocaine or heroin. In addition, many drug users resort to petty theft to support their habit because they are usually unemployed.