Pharmacies to blame for rising drug abuse in schools, says NACADA CEO Okioma

According to Okioma, a survey conducted by the alcohol abuse regulator has revealed that there is a high consumption rate of prescription drugs, a malady that is seeping into learning institutions.

Speaking on Citizen TV's Daybreak Show on Wednesday, Okioma noted that prescription drugs have become a much bigger threat to drug consumption compared to habitual drugs - marijuana and alcohol.

"We have looked at the drug situation in primary schools and the question is where do they get these drugs? Those drugs are not allowed to be issued without a prescription from a doctor and what we are asking is how do they access this?" he posed. 

"What is obvious is that we have a weakness in the control of our pharmacies because in primary if you check the figures, prescription drugs are more of a problem than these other drugs."

Okioma noted admitted that curbing the malady is an uphill task as there are many loopholes through which these drugs seep into learning institutions, however affirming that they will remain vigilant in mitigating the crisis.

"We have had a meeting with the pharmacists association and the NCPB who regulate the pharmacists and we agree that there is a problem that needs to be fixed," he said. 

"These students carry the medication when reporting back to school and no one would suspect that they are drugs but they are actually substances of abuse."

Some of the loopholes, Okioma added, are shops near schools that quietly distribute the drugs to students, adding that the risk is even bigger to primary school children since they have fewer restrictions as compared to high school students. 

"The accessibility is actually more in primary than in secondary because of restrictions but we have had cases where some students are agents in trafficking," he noted.

"We have also had evidence that those kiosks close to schools are actually very vibrant sources of drugs so you go like you are going to buy a loaf of bread then you purchase the drugs."