Codeine abuse rampant among married women – CCRWG Chairman

The Chairman of the Codeine Control and Other Related Matters Working Group, Prof. Oluwatoyin Odeku, has raised the alarm over the widespread abuse of codeine and other controlled medicines in many parts of the country.

Odeku noted, in an interview with Punch correspondent, that the abuse of the substance cut across all ages and social strata.

She said, “The problem is going deeper into the society by the day. There are reports of drug abuse among secondary school pupils and students in tertiary institutions. The use of codeine containing cough syrup has increased even among married women.’’

She said the development was due to the fact that many users of the drug, including married women, were always in need of some relief or a way out of their problems.