AN English daily on Saturday reported that pseudophedrine, a chemical component considered harmful if used in inappropriate mix, seemingly imported for use as medicine is being used in producing contraband Yaba in the country. The pseudoephedrine is mainly imported from Myanmar and India. The so-called cold remedies, including pseudoephedrine have flooded the markets across the country and people are roughly using it as the drug for cold therapy. But the youths use in Yaba form as stimulant drug. It is posing serious threat to the public health.
In Mexico, Japan, Colombia and Thailand pseudoephedrine is banned, while the United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden and Finland enacted laws to restrict its import and use even in medicines to check its misuse. Besides, the US government enacted the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act 2005 to control the import and use of pseudoephedrine after its misuse turned epidemic. Although it is quite known to us that the well-off countries have imposed restrictions on use of pseudoephedrine, continuing its abysmal use and import of this harmful substance in Bangladesh wonder all.
The report said that local pharmaceutical industries imported about 8,115kg pseudoephedrine in 2015 and 6,800kg from January 1, 2016 to August 9. In 2013, pseudoephedrine import was 31,776kg while the import was 22,701kg in 2014. Besides, statistics at Dhaka Custom House showed that the pharmaceutical industries imported about 31,000kg pseudoephedrine, mostly from India, from January 2015 to August 9, 2016.
Health experts said that the so-called cold remedying medicine manufactured and marketed in the country, especially pseudoephedrine has no therapeutic value for treating cold-related diseases, rather pseudoephedrine is a potential ingredient of stimulant drugs. The experts think that it should be banned immediately. It is horrifying that pseudoephedrine is mostly misused for non-medical purposes giving an excitable, hyperactive feeling that increases heart rate and blood pressure. Its long time and over-doze use may contribute to heart attack.
Besides, in Bangladesh, it is mostly being used to produce the prohibited drug Yaba. Yaba is now one of the major items of drug addiction of our youths, mainly of the rich families who can afford this high cost luxury. At any cost, its covert use as medicine of cold diseases and import must go. Because, we cannot play with the health and future of our youths.
The Directorate General of Drug Administration should investigate into the allegation of the misuse of pseudoephedrine for producing Yaba. The Health Ministry must weigh the disastrous consequence of this chemical substance used for drug especially Yaba. Since pseudoephedrine has no therapeutic value, it is only used as a stimulant chemical, so the government should ban both its import and use immediately to check its misuse.
