As the world marks pharmacy day, mothers in Plateau have urged pharmacists to restrict the sale of codeine cough syrup to people with doctors’ prescription.
Some of them, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Jos, regretted youths’ addition to the drug that destroys kidneys and triggers mental delusion.
“The drug has destroyed many youths. Government has tried to restrict its consumption but the efforts do not appear to deter the youths. The pharmacist should do more to save our youths,” Mrs. Yop Dauda, a mother of five, told NAN at Ungwan-Rukuba,
Dauda said that she had often watched youths misbehave and even become mentally unstable after getting addicted to the drug.
She said that most of the youths were school dropouts not willing to listen to parental counsel.
“The youths keep hanging around street corners and sometimes harass people for money to purchase the drugs.
“Sometimes, they snatch bags and cell phones to get money for drugs. The situation is just bad,” she lamented.
Dauda urged pharmacists to regulate the consumption of the drug so as to save Nigeria’s youths.
Mrs. Mairo Abdullahi, a grandmother, equally expressed worry over youths’ indulgence and dependence on drugs as stimulants to discharge their basic duties.
“I get reports from worried mothers in places like Ungwa-Rogo, Zololo and Bauchi road areas; many children insist on taking dangerous syrups before performing any task.
“Most bus drivers and their assistants, artisans and labourers all depend on drugs. Their eyes are scary and their hair unkempt. They hardly visit the bathroom. These youths are future leaders and must be protected from self-destruction,” she said.
According to her, the worst effect of the drugs is the tendency to get violent at the slightest provocation.
Mrs. Veronica Monday, a widow, accused pharmacists of selling cough syrups to children, especially minors, without prescription “just because of the money”.
“Some of these pharmacists are guilty of aiding and abetting this cough syrup addiction. They have sworn to protect lives, but they do not seem to care what happens to these children,” she said.
A pharmacist, Miss Judith Kuzanuam, however told NAN that only unlicensed pharmacies sell drugs without doctor’s prescription.
She warned people against patronising such outfits.
“People, who patronise unlicensed pharmacies, may fall prey to fake or adulterated drugs that could lead to complications,” she said.
NAN reports that Sept. 25 is set aside to mark and recognise the role of pharmacists in health care delivery.
The theme for this year’s pharmacy day is: `Pharmacists as medicines experts”. (NAN)