The government is preparing a Cabinet memorandum to introduce mandatory drug testing for applicants seeking employment in the public service, Interior Minister Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka has announced.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Monday, October 12, 2026, Mr Muntaka said the proposed policy would initially target public service recruitment, with plans to extend it to the private sector if Cabinet approves.

He said the measure could serve as a deterrent to substance abuse and discourage prospective employees from using illicit drugs.

The Minister cited the recent security services recruitment exercise, during which he said more than 6,000 applicants were disqualified after failing drug tests.

“We were alarmed during the security services recruitment about the number of persons we had to disqualify because they failed the drug test. We disqualified over 6,000 people due to drugs,” he said.

He added that concerns about substance abuse among serving security personnel had also prompted the introduction of drug and mental health screening into recruitment procedures.

Mr Muntaka expressed further concern about reports of students smuggling drugs into senior high schools to sell to their colleagues, as well as alleged illegal cannabis cultivation and the use of ambulances and bullion vans to transport the substance.

He said the government was intensifying enforcement, including the destruction of illicit cannabis farms and the arrest of suspected offenders, while expanding public education in schools, churches, mosques and organised groups.

He also announced plans to establish a state-owned narcotics rehabilitation centre to complement existing private facilities. Mr Muntaka urged interested persons to apply for licences to cultivate and trade in industrial cannabis, saying regulated production could strengthen oversight and help curb illegal activities.

Ghana’s existing framework, comprising the Narcotics Control Commission (Amendment) Act, 2023 (Act 1100), and the Narcotics Control Commission Regulations, 2023 (L.I. 2475), provides for licensed cannabis cultivation with THC content not exceeding 0.3 per cent for industrial and medicinal purposes.