The Pharmacy Council and Police at Mankessim in the Central Region have arrested a woman who sells prescription drug Tramadol on the open market.
The woman was arrested during an audit of pharmacies and market centres in the Region.
Many pharmacies were also cautioned to adhere strictly to instructions concerning the sale of the drug as their facilities risk closure by the Council.
The Council action is in response to what it says is the abuse of the medicine used to treat moderate to severe pain.
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Joy News’ correspondent Richard Kwadwo Nyarko who was travelling with the two agencies said the move was part of a wider campaign to clamp down on the abuse of Tramadol.
According to him, the unannounced operation started early Friday morning at the Mankessim market and they officers came across one woman was selling drugs in a bowl.
A further search through her bowl showed that she was selling unapproved milligrams of Tramadol in large quantities.
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Other women who were also selling the same drugs took their heels when they realized the police were questioning her and subsequently arrested her.
Regional Manager of the Pharmacy Council, Appiah Kwesi Baffour, who led the operation told Joy News “as a regulator we want to arrest the situation about the abuse of the drug.”
“We have been coming through pharmacies here and we are happy that they are stocking the approved 50mg Tramadol.”
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The Mankessim Divisional Police Commander, Augustine Mensah is urging parents to check the activities of their children so they do not fall prey to the abuse of the drug.
“We are going to continue the operation to nip the menace in the bud…we need parents to check their children to ensure they do not abuse unapproved drugs,” he said.
He said the police are willing to help in every means possible to deal with the menace of abusing unapproved drugs.
Last month, the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) referred 21 over-the-counter chemical sellers to the Pharmacy Council for stocking and selling high doses of Tramadol.
Nora Narkie Terlabi, the Ashanti Regional head of the FDA told Joy News, the exercise is to regulate the sale of the drug in the Ashanti Regional capital, Kumasi.
The FDA seized over 4000 tablets which are beyond the registered dose of 50 and 100 milligrams. It discovered that there was a lot of unregistered 200 milligrams being sold on the open market in the region.
According to Narkie Terlabi, the Authority will soon be monitoring some pubs as well.