Roundup: Nigerian Senate okays ban of codeine cough syrups

by Olatunji Saliu

ABUJA, May 2 (Xinhua) -- The Nigerian Senate on Wednesday said its investigation revealed at least 3 million bottles of codeine-based cough syrups are consumed every day in the country, with 70 percent of them going into the enclaves of terror group Boko Haram in the northeast region.

At a plenary, the Senate okayed the ban on the production and importation of cough syrups containing codeine as means of checking substance abuse, especially among the country's youths.

The Nigerian government announced the ban on Tuesday, directing relevant agencies to enforce the ban, which includes halting the issuance of permits for the importation of codeine as an active pharmaceutical ingredient for cough preparations.

The ban on all codeine-based cough syrup came amid increased reports of the abuse of such substances in the Africa's most populous country.

The Senate said it will work with the government agencies to enforce the ban.

Ahmed Lawan, majority leader of the Senate, described codeine as "one of the of the most abused drugs in Nigeria."

According to him, a few million bottles of the banned substance were found used last year in the northwestern Nigerian states of Jigawa and Kano.

"Nigeria is supposed to be much more worried about addiction than any other situation, as this is the most destructive phenomenon in Nigeria after the killing by Boko Haram and the bandits," Lawan said.

Nigeria's health minister Isaac Adewole said the government has also banned the sale of codeine cough syrup without a proper prescription.

According to him, a directive had also been issued to government agencies to supervise the recall for labeling and audit trailing of all codeine-based cough syrups nationwide.

Codeine is a narcotic pain-reliever and cough suppressant similar to morphine and hydrocodone.

Getting and abusing codeine is relatively easy as it is less regulated than some opiates considered to be more dangerous.

Health experts had been calling for the ban of codeine in Nigeria as the abuse of the substance became incessant.

Adewole said cough syrups containing codeine would be replaced with dextromethorphan which is less addictive.

The dextromethorphan is a cough suppressant used to treat coughing, and also a drug of the morphinan class with sedative, dissociative, and stimulant properties. Enditem