Health
SOME experts in the health sector have lauded the ban on alcohol production in sachets and pet bottles of less than 200ml in Nigeria.
The enforcement of the ban was announced by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Monday.
The experts made the commendation in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos.
NAN reports that NAFDAC recently banned the production of alcohol in sachets and pet bottles of less than 200ml.
The ban, which was in line with the agreement reached by a tripartite committee set up in 2018 by the Federal Ministry of Health, stated that distillers, under the Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria (DIBAN), would stop the production of alcohol in sachets and pet bottles of less than 200ml with effect from Jan. 31, 2024.
Prof. Taiwo Sheikh, past President, Association of Psychiatrists of Nigeria (APN), described the development as the right way to go, saying that the products encouraged drug abuse because they were prone to be easily abused.
Sheikh, also a Lecturer, Psychiatric Department, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, said that drug abuse was a risk factor for poor mental health conditions.
He blamed the degree of insecurity, kidnapping, rape, violence and other social vices that were bedeviling the country on drug abuse.
According to him, more than 80 per cent of causes of mental illness are traced to drug abuse.
“The adverse effects of drugs abuse on the Nigerian economy are massive, such that more stringent measures should be deployed to curb the menace.
“No human being under a normal sense of thinking would perpetrate any of such acts except he/she was under the influence of some drugs or psychoactive substances.
“So, the ban of alcohol production in sachets is a good step toward control of drug abuse, because the product encourages abuse,” he said.
Dr Livinus Abonyi, a Medical Imaging Scientist, also said that the ban on production and sale of packaged alcoholic drinks in sachet forms by NAFDAC was a welcome development.
Abonyi said the production of alcohol in small sachets made it easily and conveniently available to consumers at all times.
According to him, alcohol is an addictive product which requires high degree of discipline on the part of the consumers to control it, instead of the alcohol controlling them.
“Alcohol addiction is a menace to family survival, children upbringing, marriage, personal earning and overall quality of life of the addicts.
“The production of alcohol in small sachets makes it easily and conveniently available to the consumers.
“It becomes more portable, easy to conceal even by the under- aged, cheap and affordable. All these features make alcohol to be patronised with any amount of money and therefore, available to all that are addicted,” Abonyi said.
A Consultant Gynecologist, Dr Ayodele Ademola, said the alcohol products constitute nuisance not only to the environment, but also to human fertility health.
Ademola, also the Medical Director, StrongTower Hospital and Advanced Fertility Centre, a Lagos-based private medical facility, said that chronic alcoholic intake has negative effect on both sperm production and brain development of a baby in the womb.
He decried that the sachets and pet bottles of the alcohol were found in every nooks and crannies of the society and in most cases, blocking the drainage channels.
“Studies have shown that chronic alcoholic intake has negative effect on sperm production and brain development of a baby in the womb.
“Similarly, even if it is taken in a small quantity during pregnancy, it can as well affect brain development of the baby. So, pregnant women should completely avoid the intake of alcohol.
“Medically, alcohol should be taken between mild to moderate quality; anything above 5 to 100ml of alcohol should be avoided,” Ademola said.
The Gynecologist, therefore, urged the Federal Government to intensify efforts to do a comprehensive education programme to sensitise the public on the various effects/dangers associated with these alcoholic drinks.
He said: “Banning of alcoholic products is a good step in the right direction, but, the government should go further to create awareness on the inherent dangers associated with the products.
“A lot of the addicts out there are ignorant of the side effects. And because of its affordability, the addicts can buy as much quantity as they want.
“I believe with more sensitisation programmes, more people will desist from using the products”.
Contributing, a Psychiatric Nurse, Mrs Veronica Ezeh, identified implementation as key to any policy directive, calling on NAFDAC to intensify efforts toward full enforcement of the policy.
Ezeh, who works at the Federal Neuro-psychiatric Hospital Yaba, lamented that the products were still seen at every nooks and crannies of the society.
“The truth is that the products have actually increased the rate of drug abuse in the society and it is readily available everywhere.
“Its cheap nature makes it possible for anybody including children to afford it and it is affecting the mental health of a lot of people.
“If NAFDAC can ensure full implementation of the policy by nipping the problem at the bud to stop it’s production so that they will be off the market.
“It will go a long way to curb the menace of drug abuse because if there’s no production, there won’t be consumption,” Ezeh said.(NAN)
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-February 6, 2024 @ 17:22 GMT|
Tags: ban on alcohol production in sachets NAFDAC Prof. Taiwo Sheikh
