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Someone tried to sneak a trailer load of codeine into Katsina

There are way too many drugs on our streets.

The trailer was filled with boxes of codeine-infused cough syrups, marked as Malaria tablets.

Officers of the NDLEA intercepted the cargo as it made its way through Funtua, ostensibly for onward transmission to wholesalers and then retailers and shabby pharmacies who sell the drugs to the region's teeming consumers.

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A budding drug problem

The North is one of the epicentres of Nigeria's drug problem. Among the many substances commonly abused by youth, codeine-infused cough syrups have been fingered time and time again.

Months ago, a Twitter user reported seeing empty bottles of cough syrup and their packs discarded in an Abuja street.

Late last year, lawmakers raised concerns about the abuse of recreational drugs, especially codeine, on the floor of the House of Representatives.

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It was seen as a step in the right direction, but nearly no progress has been made since.

As is the typical attitude with solving Nigerian problems, law enforcement bodies are attacking the problem where it rears its head.

Solving the problems

Suspected drug users are routinely arrested, usually during constant raids on neighbourhoods where dealers have a heavy presence and young people are at the centre of a vibrant youth culture.

Unfortunately, many of these raids are haphazard, innocent bystanders are routinely arrested and detained.

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Besides, the greatest chance of solving the problem is two-fold.

Attacking and disabling transit points and structures is important, as is drug education and teaching potential and existing users about the perils of abuse and providing rehabilitation services for recovering users and addicts.

Intercepting a trailer full of cough syrup is a big win.

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