PHA-Exchange> Codeine Cough Mixture Abuse

[kireenmm]

22nd January 2002

Dear Friends,

CODEINE COUGH MIXTURE ABUSE

The lure of lucrative profits has led to the abuses in sales of cough mixtures containing the drug codeine. These cough preparations are being indiscriminately sold to vulnerable targets, with drug addicts and youths being the prime victims. 

These mixtures are intended for use as a cough suppressant and are deemed harmless in the public eye. However, it must be noted that the active ingredient, codeine, is a narcotic drug and its effects resemble those of morphine. It has the potential to cause addictive, or habit-forming, dependency. 

A narcotic drug is dangerous in large doses, causing stupor, coma, convulsions or death. Withdrawal symptoms such as stomach cramps, muscle aches and pains, nausea, anxiety, feelings of fear, craving, weakness and body chills can occur following indiscriminate use.  

 The abuse of codeine cough mixture sales supports the addiction habits of drug addicts. There is no good reason to justify the use of these narcotic cough mixtures as there are safer alternative treatments available. Furthermore, in many cases a cough is beneficial, an automatic reflex that the body employs to rid itself of accumulated phlegm in the chest. 

Crimes involving other narcotics such as heroin and marijuana result in harsh legal penalties for the offenders. CAP believes that similar strong measures are needed to curb yet another ugly facet of drug-pushing and addiction. 

CAP has been calling for a ban on the sale of this narcotic medication. Instituting a ban will allow powers to pass to other agencies such as the police. The harsher punitive actions that follow will act as another deterrent in the control of drug abuse. 

Some countries, like Egypt and Nepal, have taken such strong measures. We would like to hear of the situation in other countries, namely:

Ø      is there a ban on the sale of codeine cough mixtures in your country, and if so, what were the circumstances which led to such a ban; and,

Ø      if no ban exists, how is the sale of codeine cough mixtures controlled.

We would appreciate any information you can share with us.

Kireen 

(on behalf of:
S.M. MOHAMED IDRIS
President
Consumers Association of Penang
228, Jalan Macalister,
10400 Penang,
Malaysia.)
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://phm.phmovement.org/pipermail/phm-exchange-phmovement.org/attachments/20020123/538918ef/attachment-0001.html>