Jakarta, Sept 16 (Antara) - The government has been urged to act promptly to prevent more Indonesians from falling victims to the consumption of paracetamol caffeine carisoprodol (PCC) pills.
Vice Chairman of the House of Representatives, Commission IX, Saleh Partaonan Daulay has called on the government to take immediate steps following several reports of abuse of PCC tablets that has resulted in a high victim count.
"In the last two days, the Social Media Group of Commission IX has been holding in-depth discussions on the issue. Initially, we doubted the truth, but when confirmed, it is true," Daulay noted in a short message received in Jakarta on Friday.
Daulay, a politician from the National Mandate Party, said some parents have already confirmed that their children had become victims of drug abuse.
Hence, Saleh has urged the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) to take necessary steps to prevent circulation of the drug. Moreover, the drug had reportedly come from abroad.
"The distribution permit and content must be checked, and if it is dangerous, it should be immediately withdrawn," he emphasized.
According to Daulay, drugs that are not registered with the BPOM should not be circulated, let alone dangerous ones, such as PCC.
In addition to the BPOM, the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) should act. Moreover, the symptoms caused by the intake of PCC pills are similar to narcotics or drugs.
"This could be a new type of drug that has not been widely known to the public," he said.
Tens of teenagers were rushed to a hospital in Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi Province's capital, recently after taking PCC pills, Head of the Kendari office of BPOM Adillah Pababbari stated, adding that they had consumed the illegal drug.
"This PCC tablet is an illegal drug without authorization for distribution from the BPOM, as it contains carisoprodol substance sold individually," Pababbari stated in Kendari on Thursday, while delivering a press statement addressing the case that occurred in Kendari in the past few days. The new type of PCC drug was reported to have claimed the lives of some of its victims in Southeast Sulawesi.
According to Pababbari, the agency had received samples consumed by tens of Kendari residents who were rushed to the hospital, and it was not somadril.
"Drug samples that come here are PCC tablets that are illegal and sold without packaging. There are also several liquids, and we are still checking the contents. The one consumed by the teens is not somadril but contained carisoprodol substance, as somadril had been withdrawn from circulation three years ago," he explained.
PCC should be classified as a new dangerous drug due to its damaging effect on the human nervous system, Commission III member of the National Awakening Party (PKB) Abdul Kadir Karding stated.
"As such narcotics have a drug-like effect that can harm a person's nervous system and cause dependence if used haphazardly, a notice should be issued informing that the PCC falls under the category of dangerous drugs in a bid to alert the public," Karding noted in Jakarta on Saturday.
Karding urged the police, especially the BNN, to immediately raise awareness in the community about the adverse effects of using drugs containing carisoprodol, such as PCC, tramadol, and somadril.
According to Karding, based on information from the BNN, these drugs not only work to eliminate postoperative pain but can also lead to unconsciousness in addition to causing convulsions and nerve damage as well as leading to dependence until death when abused.
"Hence, these drugs should only be used under the supervision of doctors for patients and should not be sold freely," he cautioned.
The PKB secretary general opined that poor supervision had resulted in increased misuse and sale of the drugs, not only through pharmacy networks but also through social media and online shopping sites.
In addition, he said, the low price has drawn teenagers, thereby making them victims, and it is easy to find sellers of hard drugs on cyberspace.
"With the right keywords, one can order without a verification process, such as a doctor's prescription, thereby increasing the vulnerability of abuse, especially among teenagers," he revealed.
He affirmed that law enforcement officers should take strict action to fight the illegal sale of such drugs on the internet, as it poses a serious threat that should be overcome through collective efforts.
He urged law enforcement officials to impose strict sanctions on illegal drug sellers, as they are not only endangering the younger generation now but also the future of the nation.
"They do seem to be providing information to criminals and other teenagers about how to abuse drugs," he added.
In the meantime, the BPOM said PCC that claimed several lives and caused brain damage to numerous users in Kendari has an illegal content.
Based on a written statement received in Jakarta on Friday, the results of laboratory tests on PCC tablets showed it positively contained the substance carisoprodol.
The cancellation of circulation permit for carisoprodol refers to the high impact of its abuse rather than its therapeutic effect. The release permits of all drugs containing carisoprodol classified as hard drugs were canceled in 2013.
Drugs containing active carisoprodol substances have pharmacological effects as muscle relaxants but only briefly and in the body they soon metabolize into Meprobamat compounds that cause sedative effects.
Carisoprodol abuse in several cases is claimed to boost self-esteem, enhance stamina, and is also used by commercial sex workers as a powerful drug.
Meanwhile, Head of the Public Service and Communications Bureau of the Ministry of Health Oscar Primadi expressed hope that the BNN would immediately identify the drug content and list the substance under an addictive group.
He said the health sector plays a crucial role in the efforts to combat drug abuse through promotional, preventive, therapeutic, and rehabilitative efforts.
He cited government regulations, such as Law No. 35 of 2009 on Narcotics, Law No. 44 of 2009 on Hospitals, Law No. 18 of 2014 on Mental Health, and Permenkes No. 41 of 2017 on the Change of Narcotics Classification.**4*** (A014/INE/f001)
EDITED BY INE (T.A014/A/BESSR/F. Assegaf) 16-09-2017 17:56: |
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