The Lagos State Government said the prevalence of using codeine as a recreational drug pales in comparison with that of other substances.
The State commissioner for health, Dr. Jide Idris, disclosed this while speaking at the state annual Ministerial Press Briefing to mark the third anniversary of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s administration held at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre in Alausa, on Friday.
While reacting to question posed to him on the ban of issuance of permits for the importation of Codeine as active pharmaceutical ingredient for cough preparations Idris said the country was dealing with just the tip of the iceberg as far as drug abuse was concerned.
He said, “We are not looking at Codeine alone; we are going to look at it under drug abuse. Codeine is just one substance out of many that are being abused. It also goes to show you the extent of the mental health situation in our country and that is why like we said something ago that we are putting more emphasis now on mental health. It is a serious issue; it is one area of the health sector that people generally do not even address and that is why as a State Government we are being proactive.”
