A surge in mixed-drug use among young people, involving over-the-counter medicines and illicit substances, is causing serious concern at the highest levels of government, as a minister warned in the House of Assembly on Tuesday of dangerous health consequences and expanding illegal supply routes.
Minister of People Empowerment Adrian Forde said the administration, particularly Prime Minister Mia Mottley, has been losing sleep over the pattern of substance abuse among youth that has shifted towards a dangerous mix of over-the-counter pharmaceuticals and illegal drugs.
‘Polydrug use’ refers to the use of more than one drug or type of drug at the same time or one after another. It can involve both illicit drugs and legal substances, such as alcohol and medications.
“The poly-drug usage is causing sleepless nights for a lot of us, especially as MPs, members of cabinet,” Forde declared. “I think it causes sleepless nights for the prime minister. The various drugs now, and the new drugs being used by not only adults, but the new advanced drugs being used and combinations by our young people.”
Forde pointed to a growing, largely unregulated trend in which young people bypass pharmacies, using mobile phones and the internet to research and mix potent substances.
“Here we have in this country a culture now creeping in where young persons are taking medication over the counter,” Forde said. “They go to a lot of non-pharmacies. They ain’t getting advice from the pharmacist, but because they have this cell phone, they have internet, they’re going and research different drugs, the different combinations, how to do this and how to do that.”
He also highlighted a trend involving cough syrups containing codeine phosphate, which are being bought off the shelf and mixed with soft drinks and sweets to create a substance known as “lean”.
“What those young people are doing now is taking those things, mixing them with Sprite and what’s not, Jolly Ranchers and calling it ‘lean’,” Forde told the House. “Well, they lean themselves into trouble… the ones in Barbados, young people leaning not only on the side, they leaning upside down because after they’re taking these products, they can’t remember the activities that they are involved in. I believe that this is one of the biggest fights that we must now, as a country, come together and unite and fight against the polydrug use by persons in Barbados.”
He also drew attention to illegal imports, saying synthetic stimulants are entering Barbados disguised as supplements.
“Coming across our borders, we are having drugs, ecstasy, methamphetamine, we call it the ‘Mollies’. Mollies are being imported under the guise of vitamins,” he said. “That is where the pharmacovigilance must come into place. That is where the vigilance at the port must come into play. If you are saying that it is yohimbe or ginseng in capsule form, then it is tested randomly. The lab report must come to show that it is indeed yohimbe, ginseng, or any other vitamin and not methamphetamine, as is the case sometimes.”
The Barbados Medical Products Bill, brought to the House on Tuesday after its first reading in the Senate, proposes a stricter regulatory and enforcement system, repealing the 1950 Therapeutic Substance Act and updating existing drug control rules. Under the legislation, inspectors will have the authority to enter and search premises suspected of distributing behaviour-altering substances.
Forde warned of stiff penalties for those who breach the law, including falsifying prescriptions or tampering with labels.
“Persons could be subject to an offence under the act… You can be charged on summary conviction, which is the magistrate’s court, of fifty thousand dollars or five years in prison,” Forde said. “I advocate fine because you are dealing with people’s lives, you are dealing with life and death. We cannot afford to lose a life by playing Russian roulette with people and their medication.”
He also placed the issue within a wider global context, pointing to antimicrobial resistance as a major threat alongside climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.
The youth minister urged Barbadians to avoid unsafe practices such as stopping antibiotic courses early and disposing of expired medication in gullies, which can affect water sources and marine life.
At the same time, the bill creates opportunities for research and development by setting standards that could allow Barbadian scientists to develop pharmaceuticals from natural resources, Forde said.
“Imagine with that traditional knowledge, we are able to put the science behind it, we are able to put the industry behind it, and we are able to market these products as a small island developing state.
“With the right technology, that is what this bill allows. This is the right time now to do the right thing in terms of putting mechanisms in place to advance an industry that will basically save this country.”
(RR)
