Young Radio Presenter and blogger, Barimah Amoaning Samuel has cautioned government authorities to place a ban on the infamous Tramadol drug in Ghana.
According to Barimah Amoaning Samuel, the only solution of putting a stop to the abuse of tramadol by most Ghanaian youth is for authorities to ban the importation of the drug completely. According to the youth activist tramadol is definitely not the only alternative pain killer that can be prescribed by a medical doctor and that the efforts of raising public awareness about the effects of the abuse of tramadol is even doing more harm than good, because it is rather tempting those who are new to the drug to go and give it a try.
He continued to say that victims of tramadol who have been arrested by the police should be given a proper rehabilitation facilities and counseling rather than treating them as criminals. He made this statement on a youth empowerment television show on Pan African Tv on 10th May, 2018.
Below are some of Barimah’s statements
“ Tramadol abuse, you know the more we talk and create awareness about this the more the guys wanna try; am not saying public education is bad but I think the government must tackle this issue from the very root, Tramadol must be banned in Ghana, I don’t think is the only pain killer around, we can’t sit and let this drug destroy our abled youth in this country …” Barimah Amoaning Samuel
There is a growing trend of Tramadol abuse among Ghanaian youth in some parts of the country.
Recent surveys have shown the drug is also used among market women, drivers, and in some cases, students.
The drug is recognised as a painkiller with a potency around 10% that of morphine and it is used to treat moderate to severe acute and chronic pain. Like morphine, it works by binding to the mu-opioid receptor found in the brain and in other regions of the body, stopping pain messages from getting through. It inhibits re-uptake of the neurotransmitter messenger molecules norepinephrine (noradrenalin) and serotonin and also has antidepressant and anti-anxiety properties.
