By Asma’u Ahmad
National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) said it is conducting a drug use survey to guide regulatory action in the country.
The Acting Director-General, Mrs Yetunde Oni, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Abuja.
Mrs. Oni said the survey would also develop drug prevention and treatment strategies to address drug problems in the country.
She explained that the policy was designed during the dissemination of the 2015 annual report of the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB).
According to her, drug abuse, particularly the abuse of prescription medicines, continues to be a threat to public health.
She noted that the outcome of the survey was expected to help address drug problems including the New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) which are beyond the purview of the three international drug control conventions.
Oni said that inadequate availability and lack of accessibility to narcotic drugs continue to be knotty and recurrent problems in most developing countries.
The acting director-general added that in Nigeria in particular, availability of Opioids for treatment of pain continues to be a matter of concern.
The Country Representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Cristina Albertin, said that over 600 drugs have been discovered while people often think of cannabis, heroine and cocaine when drugs is mentioned.
She said that the INCB report calls on countries to ensure a balance drug policy by prioritising the health and welfare of their citizens through ensuring availability of drugs for medical purposes and reducing the illicit supply of drugs.
The Chairman, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Colonel Muhammad Abdallah (Rtd), said that there was an upward trend in the use of Tramadol over the past years.
He said that two significant seizures and arrests of suspects including the arrest of two pharmacists have been made.
Colonel Abdallah said should limit the cultivation, production, manufacture and use of narcotic drugs for medical and scientific purposes, and prevents illicit cultivation, production, traffic and use.
He added that the fundamental function must be vigorously pursued until total victory over drug cartels is achieved.
