Reps Want Codeine, Tramadol Banned

Members of the House of Representatives said Thursday that the rise in drug abuse among youths in the North is worrisome and should be addressed urgently.

The lawmakers singled out the high use of Codeine and Tramadol abuse in the region, saying it is being done on daily basis.

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The members noted that consumers hide under the guise of treating themselves from cough by drinking and abusing the substance.

They added that Tramadol was a prescription drug that should not have been dispensed except prescribed by a medical doctor.

Hon. Abdulsamad Dasuki from Sokoto State, who moved a motion on the development, sought a ban on the sale of Codeine and Tramadol over the counter across the country.

His motion was titled, “Need to Stop Abuse by Banning the Sale of Codeine and Tramadol over the Counter and Address its Abuse in Northern Nigeria.”

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Dasuki called on relevant agencies such as the National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control to introduce tougher regulatory measures to contain what could become a major national crisis.

According to the lawmakers, in Kano and Jigawa States alone, three million bottles of codeine were consumed by youths daily.

The House noted, “If this number is consumed in just two states of the 19 northern states, when the figures of the other 17 states are added, it is catastrophic.

“Codeine abuse poses a major challenge of unparalleled description to the survival of the region in particular and the nation in general as its youths and womenfolk are faced with the threat of being rendered useless from adverse effects of the abuse of the medicine.”

One member from Adamawa State, Mr. Abdulrazak Namdas, linked drug abuse to the rise in spousal violence, including murder.

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“We have seen lately, cases of wives killing their husbands or husbands attacking their wives.

“These incidents may be tied to drug abuse and the craze to smoke Shisha and other substances,” he said.

The motion was passed in a majority voice vote at the session, which was presided over by the Speaker, Mr. Yakubu Dogara.

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