Nigeria bans addictive codeine cough syrups

The ban on illicit sale of codeine comes over fears of addiction among young people.

Nigerian lawmakers say about three million bottles of codeine containing syrups are consumed every day in the two northern states of Kano and Jigawa.
TRTWorld

Nigerian lawmakers say about three million bottles of codeine containing syrups are consumed every day in the two northern states of Kano and Jigawa.

Nigeria has banned cough syrups containing the painkiller codeine because of concern about misuse and addiction.

The government's move comes in reaction to the illicit sale of the medicine to young people and the dangers of addiction.

"It's bad, it's really bad. Sometimes I go out and I don't know how I got back home. I wake up in the morning and I thank God I'm at home, what if I was someplace else and something happened to me," says a woman who is recovering from the addiction of codeine containing cough syrup. She asked not to be named.

TRT World's Wendy Agbo reports from the northwestern city of Kano.

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