The two-day programme, held as part of Mental Health Month activities, targeted students from Pope John Senior High School and New Juaben Senior High School.

The initiative was aimed to raise awareness about the rising abuse of Tramadol and its severe impact on the youth.

Addressing students, regis­tered mental health nurse, Daniel Ampofo, noted that the increasing misuse of the unapproved drug RED 225mg was alarming.

He emphasised that the drug, unlike the approved 50mg or 100mg prescription-strength Tra­madol, was illegally manufactured and contained dangerously high opioid levels.

“The legal Tramadol is only prescribed by a medical doctor for severe pain,” Mr Ampofo explained.

“The RED 225mg has an even higher dosage and is taken by some youth without medical supervision. It contains addictive properties and damages critical organs like the liver, especially when consumed in large quantities multiple times a day.”

He warned that addiction to RED could lead to long-term men­tal health disorders and irreversible liver damage.

He further explained that many young people abuse the drug for reasons such as peer pressure, curi­osity, depression, or for prolonged sexual performance, often unaware of the risks involved.

“There’s an urgent need to ed­ucate and engage the youth. If we don’t act now, we risk losing many of our future leaders to addiction and mental illness,” he added.

Evelyn Enyonam Lotsu, Eastern Regional Director of the NYA, highlighted that the campaign formed part of a nationwide effort launched by the NYA Chief Executive Officer, themed “RED Means Stop.”

The slogan drives home the ur­gency of halting the growing abuse of the drug, especially in schools, she added.

“This is a timely campaign. Mental Health Month offers a great opportunity to collaborate with the Health Directorate and Mental Health Department to educate students on what RED is, its consequences, and how to avoid it,” she said.

Ms Lotsu explained that targeting basic and second-cycle institutions was key because most students begin experimenting with such substances during their school years due to ignorance or peer influence.

“Once they understand the long-term effects, we believe they will make better choices,” she said.

Priscilla Owusu, Regional Programmes Officer of the NYA, added that the focus was on first and second-year students from schools in the New Juaben South and North Municipalities.

She said similar sensitisation activities were happening in other parts of the Eastern Region.

Mr Reuben Addo, Head of IT at Pope John SHS, praised the initia­tive, saying, “This programme used visual content to show the harsh realities of drug abuse. It was eye-opening for the students.”

A student, Cosmos Antwi, said the session helped him to under­stand that RED 225mg was illegal and dangerous, and pledged to stay away from it and encourage his peers to do the same.