Member of Parliament for Essikado-Ketan constituency, Prof. Grace Ayensu has urged state agencies in charge of local companies in charge of the distribution of tapentadol and caristoprodol( abnormally high dose opioid and muscle relaxant combo) to be dealt with.
She is of the view that these companies are in to medicate our youth into severe addiction and death from central nervous system suppression and eventual respiratory arrest.
Therefore, their actions cannot be left to fester but rather, they have to be punished by law.
“The lethal combination of tapentadol and caristoprodol ( abnormally high dose opioid and muscle relaxant combo) are never used in real medicine. We don’t even use this lethal combo for post operative or chronic severe pain. This combo is only meant to medicate our youth into severe addiction and death from central nervous system suppresion and eventual respiratory arrest. This is criminal and the owners of the local company must be brought to book,” she said in a post shared via social media.
Background
A BBC Eye investigation has uncovered how unlicensed, highly addictive opioids from India are fuelling a growing drug crisis in Ghana.
The report reveals that Aveo Pharmaceuticals, based in Mumbai, is illegally exporting harmful opioids to West Africa, with Ghana among the hardest-hit countries.
The drugs, sold under various brand names, combine tapentadol, a potent opioid, with carisoprodol, a muscle relaxant banned in Europe due to its high potential for addiction.
This dangerous combination is not licensed for use anywhere in the world, yet it has flooded Ghanaian streets, putting countless young lives at risk.
In cities like Tamale in northern Ghana, the crisis has reached alarming levels. Community leader Alhassan Maham has organised a volunteer task force of about 100 locals to combat the spread of these drugs.
“The drugs consume the sanity of those who abuse them,” Maham said, likening their effect to a fire fed by kerosene. Addicts in Tamale openly admit how these pills have devastated their lives.
One user confessed, “The drugs have wasted our lives,” highlighting the grim reality faced by many.
The BBC’s investigation followed Maham’s task force during a raid in Tamale’s impoverished neighbourhoods. Acting on a tip-off, they apprehended a dealer carrying green pills labelled “Tafrodol” — a product traced back to Aveo Pharmaceuticals.
The distinctive Aveo logo was clearly visible on the packaging, confirming the source.
This issue is not isolated to Tamale. Police in other parts of Ghana have seized similar Aveo-manufactured opioids, with the drugs widely available on the streets.
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