Basic school learners in parts of the Volta Region are reportedly skipping school to work as labourers on marijuana plantations for meagre earnings, the President of the Volta Region House of Chiefs (VRHC), Togbe Tepre Hodo IV, has said.
Describing the situation as alarming, he warned that the trend posed a dire threat to the future of the region’s youth.
Togbe Tepre Hodo, who is also the Paramount Chief of Anfoega, made this known at a general meeting of the VRHC held in Ho on Friday (July 18).
According to him, young people were cultivating the illicit substance with impunity on plantations located in Vakpo and Wusuta in the North Dayi District, and in Gbefi in the Kpando Municipality.
He said the plantations were spreading rapidly, adding that the region risked losing its “normal young people” sooner than expected.
“Some of the children are offered the substance to smoke on the farms, and once addiction sets in, they would definitely drift off course,” Togbe Tepre Hodo cautioned.
He noted that the Narcotics Control Commission Act only permitted the cultivation of a specific species of cannabis under licence for medicinal and industrial purposes—not for recreational use.
Togbe Hodo therefore called on law enforcement agencies to take swift action to curb what he described as a menacing trend.
When contacted, the Paramount Chief of Vakpo, Togbe Gbogbolulu V, corroborated the report and described the situation in Vakpo as being “out of hand.”
“The young marijuana farmers are now attacking us physically, and several complaints to the police have fallen on deaf ears,” he told GraphicOnline.
In February this year, Togbe Gbogbolulu had expressed concern over the increasing trend of youth cultivating marijuana in large quantities under the cover of darkness using torchlights.
He noted that Vakpo was previously known for its high level of discipline and peacefulness.
However, he said that calm order was now being replaced by fear and anxiety among residents, due to the fast-spreading use of marijuana and rising lawlessness among the youth.
The Volta Regional Minister, James Gunu, who attended the VRHC meeting, reaffirmed the Volta Regional Coordinating Council’s commitment to maintaining peace and security across the region.
He assured that the Council would continue to collaborate closely with the House of Chiefs and keep them informed about major developmental initiatives of the government, while addressing the concerns of traditional authorities.
source: Graphic Online
