Deputies call for cough syrup ban

DEPUTIES yesterday called for a ban on over-the-counter sales of codeine-based cough syrups, amid growing fears the medicine is being abused by drug addicts.
Almost one in three heroine addicts had admitted to using codeine-based products at some stage, according to statistics presented to the House Health Committee yesterday.
All deputies agreed that codeine based medicines should not be made available without prescription.

Health Minister Dina Akkelidou told the Committee that the Anti-drug Council was in favour of banning over-the-counter sales, but that her department was awaiting further advice from the Pharmaceutical services.

AKEL deputy Adamos Adamou, who submitted the issue for discussion said codeine was often used as a stepping stone to harder drugs or served as a substitute when addicts were short of money.

He said addicts cited ease of availability for their use of the product, adding some had blamed it for luring them back to drugs when they tried to kick the habit.

However, psychiatrist Kyriacos Veresies of the anti-drug organisation Kenthea said turning cough syrups into a prescription medicine would be a repressive measure.
He said research showed only a fraction of drug addicts had bought codeine over the counter, adding they would need to consume five to10 bottles of cough syrup to get their fix.

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