Nicholas Rainer
6 August 2008
Port Louis — Navin Ramgoolam announced in Parliament yesterday that "Subutex" will soon be reclassified as a dangerous drug despite the "reservations expressed by the World Health Organization".
Cindy Legallant, trying to hide herself, was caught at Plaisance airport in possession of some Rs 22 million worth of «Subutex». This opioid analgesic is to be reclassified in the higher echelons of the hard drugs the law prohibits.
Some would call it a promotion. Others, a demotion. However, one would wish to describe the direction of its legal mobility, Subutex's impending reclassification from Schedule II of the Dangerous Drugs Act (DDA) 2000 to Schedule I caps another week spent in the limelight for this opioid analgesic, which, according to the Centre for Cancer Education, is used for "relief of moderate to severe pain". Not content with having to occupy the lower echelons of the DDA with a lot of obscure substances, Subutex seems to have earned its place next to such notorious narcotics as heroin, cocaine and opium. Given the country's internationally-recognized addiction to hard drugs, one is forced to concede that this is no mean feat.
Also known under the less tongue-friendly name of buprenorphine, Subutex grabbed all the headlines last week when a certain Cindy Legallant was caught at Plaisance airport in possession of no less than Rs 22 million-worth of the stuff. The nationwide manhunt for Sada Curpen, whom the Anti-Drug Smuggling Unit believes is the mastermind behind the operation, only added fuel to the media fire.
A quick read of the DDA's raison d'être certainly vindicates the government's decision to upgrade its status. "To consolidate the law relating to dangerous drugs and to make further and better provision for the control of dangerous drugs, the treatment of addiction, the prevention, detection and repression of drug trafficking, the prevention of laundering of drug money in Mauritius, the sentencing of drug-traffickers, seized assets of drug offenders to be vested in designated institutions, restriction of bail and minimum penalties in respect of certain serious drug offences and the punishment of persons making false statements in relation to drug offences."
Cindy Legallant's arrest is but the most recent example of what a lucrative business Subutex trafficking has become. Moreover, the fact that Subutex is widely being abused in its "injectable form" (rather than orally) and that, in 2007, injecting drug-users represented a whopping 80% of new HIV cases, seems to go a long way to justify the government's decision to declare it a dangerous drug.
Navin Ramgoolam did however point out that the change of scheduling represents a "serious barrier for accessibility of treatment" in the opinion of the World Health Organization. He also explained that, "the question of re-scheduling Subutex as a 'dangerous drug' has been considered as a very thorny on, that could result in it ceasing to be available for medicinal use". Despite all this, the government has decided to go ahead with the reclassification, "whilst including adequate safeguards for its use for medicinal purposes under a prescription".
Imran Danoo, director of the Idriss Goomanee Centre in Plaine-Verte, is strongly opposed to the proposed rescheduling. Even if he understands the "uproar" surrounding the drug, he describes its reclassification as "inconceivable". "Subutex is an excellent opiate substitute. It's an essential substance for treating opiate addicts. If the reclassification goes ahead, then rehabilitation centres won't be able to use it anymore."
This might not seem like a train smash when one considers that methadone, another drug found under Schedule II of the DDA, is also widely used to treat opiate addicts. There is, however, a fundamental difference between the two substances. Methadone is known as a "maintenance substance", meaning that it is used as a substitute for heroin but is not really effective in weaning off addicts off their addictions. Subutex, on the other hand, is "a detoxification agent", which can help drug users to gradually shake their enslavement to drugs. Imran Danoo explains that 28-day Subutex programme has shown encouraging results. He also notes that methadone cannot be administered to people with cardiac and respiratory problems.
For his part, the chairman of the National agency for the treatment and rehabilitation of substance abusers, Gérard Lesage, is all for "a toughening of the laws", which stipulate that trafficking of the substance is punishable by a maximum prison sentence of five years. He opines that the flourishing of Subutex on the black market has opened the way for widespread "misuse and abuse" of the drug, even if he thinks that its "medical value" should not be ignored.
"A great majority of Subutex users inject it intravenously because they want the biggest high." In his opinion, it should only be administered in hospitals under the close supervision of medical authorities. Morphine, the use of which is strictly monitored, could offer a useful model for the administration of Subutex. Gérard Lesage also believes that a clear limit should be established to differentiate consumers from traffickers.
"The prime minister hit the nail on the head when he described the reclassification as "thorny". It might be a necessary evil if the country hopes to discourage drug traffickers from importing the substance ... "
The prime minister hit the nail on the head when he described the reclassification as "thorny". It might be a necessary evil if the country hopes to discourage drug traffickers from importing the substance and its subsequent use by injecting drug addicts. Then again, drug traffickers are usually not that easily deterred from engaging in illegal acts, even if the goods they hawk are suddenly elevated to Schedule I-status. Moreover, if "adequate safeguards" are not provided to guarantee its medical use, the move might hinder attempts to rid Mauritius of the scourge of drug addiction. And that would definitely represent a demotion for the whole nation.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 L'Express. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
