Demand Reduction focuses on a reduction in the uptake of drug use by the youth, and thus avoiding the negative health and social impacts whilst travelling through the formative years. NACOC does this through educating the public about drugs in order to avoid drug usage and misuse. Under the Demand Reduction, NACOC employs sensitization educational programmes and counselling sessions as major channels to carry out its mandate.
- Drug Preventive Education (Civil awareness and response)
Evidence-based drug education seeks to enhance protective factors and reduce risk factors associated with the use of illicit drugs. NACOC does this through combining statistics with real-life accounts from people who have struggles with addiction reduces the tendency to experiment with drugs and its consequent antisocial and violent behaviors.
- Drug Abuse Preventive Programmes (Reach-out programme)
Awareness generation programmes in schools, work places and other institutions, increase in community participation and public cooperation, awareness generation through social, print, digital and online media and treatment and counselling are amongst the channels employed to keep the public away from the use of drugs.
NACOC under the Demand Reduction adopt measures to reduce the demand for and harm caused by the use of narcotic drugs and plants through education and treatment rehabilitation of persons with substance use disorder. In consultation with the relevant bodies NACOC seeks to provide alternative means of livelihood for persons who cultivate narcotic plants. The Commission also seeks to conduct baseline studies and surveys on the abuse of and dealings in narcotic drugs and plants in Ghana.
