Reflecting On The Narcotics Circulation In Los Angeles, The Government Of Indonesia Is Asked To Watch The Distribution Of Fentanyl

Pharmacy illustration. (Between)

JAKARTA - The Indonesian government was asked to oversee the distribution of the Fentanyl drug in Indonesia. This step is to prevent drug abuse as happened in Los Angeles, United States.

This was said by an expert on health security and resilience as well as an epidemiologist at Griffith University Australia, Dicky Budiman.

"This is one of the issues of narcotics abuse due to inappropriate prescriptions and this certainly requires supervision," he said in a voice message, Monday, December 5.

Dicky explained that Fentanyl is one of the drugs commonly used to reduce severe pain in patients with cancer or other disorders such as the kidneys. Side effects that can be caused can be tens of times stronger than heroin.

Fentanyl access in several countries such as the United States, Australia and New Zealand can easily be obtained by the public because it is made in the form of injections or injections or plasters. This makes Fentanyl popular and easy to use.

Unfortunately, this was misused by irresponsible parties on the black market and made it one of the trends of narcotics abuse. Coupled with the curiosity of the people who are very high without being balanced with adequate literacy.

As a result, Fentanyl users who consume it excessively are affected by side effects such as excessive euphoria, respiratory problems to death due to overdose.

"The curiosity that arises in society is because of the effects that cause addiction as generally as other narcotics, that's what's dangerous because they don't realize this," he said.

According to him, with the supervision of drug distributions that are still weak in Indonesia, the government needs to increase supervision of the Fentanyl prescription by involving the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM), the National Narcotics Agency (BNN), the Ministry of Health and local governments.

This is to prevent greater bad potential, especially with the presence of globalization eras that make it easier for various drugs to be abused by vulnerable parties such as teenagers who fill a lot of free time with negative or unproductive things.

"In addition, it is not only from the system of supervision or law enforcement, but also literacy in schools, youth, communities, which involve religious or community organizations and parents because this abuse begins with trial and error," he said.

Dicky also stated that such a phenomenon would not become a pandemic, because it was in the form of drug abuse and localism. Usually, it only occurs in certain areas in every country.

"If there is a new phenomenon or drugs related to drug abuse, this is always present and they are always trying to create new trends for these drug manufacturers or those engaged in this business to make a profit," he said.

For information, a few days ago circulated many photos on social media showing many people having seizures or lying on the streets. Many homeless people died of overdose. It is suspected that this phenomenon was caused by excessive consumption of the drug Fentanyl.