Tapentadol and carisoprodol, a form of opioid, are combined to create RED, a lethal combination of drugs that can cause addiction, overdose, and even death.
Ghana’s government launched a nationwide campaign against the use of RED drugs due to the alarmingly high frequency of drug misuse in the country.
The Pharmaceuticals Society of Ghana (PSG) Executive Secretary, Dr. Dennis Sena Awitty, has advocated for the rigorous implementation of laws controlling the use of illegal medications in the nation, such as RED or opioids.
His appeal comes as worries about drug abuse, which negatively impacts young people’s health, are growing.
In an interview with 3news, he argued that pharmacies should have qualified pharmacists overseeing medical facilities in order to guarantee a decrease in the sale of illegal medications.
“As long as there is a documented proof that some pharmacies sell these drugs, then anyone will make assertions of their contribution to the abuse of the drugs in the country. You see, the way we run healthcare in Ghana, especially direct to patient care, is something that has to be looked at.
“A businessman who has money, can engage a young pharmacist to help him fix up a pharmacy and run it as a business without engaging the professional services of the pharmacist and that is a big challenge and so if we want to make headway, we need to ensure that community retail pharmacies have primary healthcare providers. We need to look at the law on the establishment of pharmacies to check all these unapproved drugs that find their way onto the markets and the pharmacies” he emphasized.
In order to solve the issue, both the general public and young people have received warnings about the risks associated with using hard drugs, especially RED, and the necessity of working together.