Ghanaian comic actor, Ebenezer Akwasi Antwi, known chiefly as Ras Nene has admonished parents and guardians to desist from sending children on errands to buy them hard drugs and cigarettes for use.
The actor who was exposed to smoking before the age of 18 years has detailed how an action from his uncle landed him into an addiction that nearly cost him a bright future.
Speaking on the Delay Show in January 2023, Ras Nene recalled his childhood at Kumasi Magazine, and how he was introduced to smoking cigarettes and marijuana.
“I worked at a bar when I was young. I always say this, never send a child to buy cigarettes, alcohol, or hard drugs for you. That child can become an addict through that errand. They end up doing what they see you do.
“I would have never known how to smoke if I didn’t move in with him. Sometimes when he was done smoking, I pick the last piece from the ground and hide to smoke it…later I meet another stubborn kid who was just like me, he introduced me to weed smoking. At the time I spoke over 7 languages,” he disclosed.
According to Ras Nene, his mother who lived in Tafo Zongo felt disappointed when she become aware of his wayward lifestyle.
She did everything possible to talk his young son out of the situation but that proved futile as he had joined bad company.
“My mother warned and advised me to quit smoking on several occasions but I never paid heed to her,” he added.
The actor who has now broken off from his addiction revealed that he became a ‘street uncle’ who sold hard drugs at Tafo. According to him, his jail experience changed his life for the better.
He said: “I used to control the streets; I was a hard guy and made money on the streets…the gun I handled was for protection…I have given warning shots but never fired.”
Watch the video below:
ghanaweb.com