Drug
By Toba Ajayi
Ilorin, May 2, 2018 (NAN) A medical expert, Dr Femi Oluwole of University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), has advised parents to monitor their children to check the increasing rate of drug abuse in the country.
Oluwole, who gave the advice in Ilorin on Wednesday while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said drug abuse had become a norm among many Nigerian youths.
He said drugs like Codeine, Tramadol and other syrups were being abused by young boys and girls in the country.
According to him, the generation of young boys and girls are becoming addicted to drugs as they abuse the privilege of getting it easily at medicine stores.
The expert told NAN that drug abuse was dangerous to health and could lead mental disorder and in some cases, death of people that abused the substance.
“You see young boys and girls walking straight to medicine stores to buy cough syrup that has codeine while young athletes buy Tramadol to enhance their performance on the field.
“Parents must be the ‘watch dog’ to their children by knowing the kind of friends they associate with.
”They should always search their belongings and advise them against taking drugs for fun,” he said.
The medical doctor also called on government at all levels to be strict and enact laws to curb the menace in the society.
“Drug abuse will ruin the future of promising Nigerian children and youths, if not quickly dealt with.”
NAN reports that the Federal Government has banned the production and importation of codeine in the country.
Prof.Isaac Adewole, Minister of health gave the directive to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Tuesday.
Codeine is a substance used in treating pain and cough. Though it is imported into the country, syrups containing codeine are said to be produced by at least, 20 companies in the country.
The minister also directed NAFDAC to stop issuance of permits for the importation of the substance and instead with immediate effect and replace it with dextromethorphan which is less addictive. (NAN)
LEX/ESAN/DUA
Abiodun Esan /Dada Ahmed