Wa, May 15, – Food and Drugs
Authority (FDA) in partnership with Narcotics Control Board and Pharmacy
Council on Tuesday engaged stakeholders in a six-hour forum on combating
Tramadol abuse and illicit drugs in Upper West Regional capital, Wa.
The Agencies entrusted to fight
illegal drugs and drug abuse in the country decried the growing abuse of
Tramadol, the medicine meant for relieving moderate body pain, but has now
found to have been misused widely by the youth for other unapproved purposes.
The media, Police, religious
leaders, traditional rulers, over-the-counter drug sellers and several heads of
departments who took part in the forum raised serious concerns about the trend
of drug abuse among the youth, and called for a concerted effort to curb the
devastating situation.
Mr Albert Ankomah, the Upper West
Regional Head of FDA, said the Authority was poised to carry out its operations
as mandated by the law, but required full cooperation of other enforcement
agencies and stakeholders to tame the canker of Tramadol abuse described as
reaching national epidemic by many.
However, he said the FDA was also
challenged in their operations to control door-to-door delivery of medicines,
social media/internet sales, sourcing products from unregistered suppliers,
cross-border trade adulteration of herbal medicines and among others.
In order to address the
situation, he noted that there was the need for sustained market surveillance
exercise, capacity building for investigation, prosecution or prescription of
sanctions to offenders and aggressive public education.
The Acting Upper West Regional
Manager of Pharmacy Council, Mr Lateef Agyei-Wiredu, said the trend of abuse of
Tramadol gathered by intelligence in the region indicated that farmers, drivers
and criminal groups, were turning away from marijuana to the use of Tramadol.
The devastating effects of
Tramadol abuse, he said included; agitation, headache, dizziness, drowsiness,
tiredness, constipation, diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting.
He also mentioned some
consequences as hallucinations, itching, sweating, flushing and fever,
fainting, seizure (convulsions) infertility, impotence, sexual problems, organ
damage and subsequently death.
"All of us have to join
hands to step up the public education in our communities. The opinion leaders
are kindly invited to put their voices in this battle against this
menace," he added.
GNA
No comments:
Post a Comment