Stay away from illegal pharmacies

Where do you purchase drugs when you are sick or when a family member needs some? Do you get them from the supermarket nearest to your house? Or are you like 22-year-old Seun  Awodugba who gets her drugs from  her  ‘physician,’ simply known as Iya Ibeji, the auxiliary nurse who dispenses drugs and administers injections right in her living room?

Worse still, is it Uncle Ben who has no training or knowledge in anything related to medicine that prescribes medicines for you? Experts warn that if you usually source your drugs from unorthodox places, you may be putting your life and those of your loved ones in danger.

According to physicians and also by law, for anybody to operate and dispense medicines in a retail drug store, he or she must be a licensed pharmacist.

However, this is often not the situation. As if they were mere kolanuts and candies, drugs are sold alongside bread, biscuits, alcohol, herbal concoction and any articles of trade in th

 Another pharmacist, Mr. Yinka Aminu, linked the patronage of illegal drug business to the increasing incidence of chronic illnesses such as liver and kidney problems in the country.

Aminu says, “They want to remain illegal because they are not ready to conform to standard pharmaceutical practices. When medicines are exposed to heat and other harsh conditions, they are as good as poison.

So, how do you know a registered pharmacy? It is simple, Aminu says. They have an Rx emblem, which is a mark of authenticity used by members of the pharmaceutical association in the country.

He adds, “There is an emblem that is used to distinguish registered pharmacies from illegal ones. Please, look out for this sign whenever you want to buy drug. That is the only way you can protect yourself for now.”

There are registered pharmacies in your neighborhood, patronise them. Remember, just as drugs heal and cure, they also kill when they are misused or abused.