Dubai: Unsupervised consumption of the painkiller Tramadol can cause death, a chief drug prosecutor warned on Tuesday. The terse message is part of a campaign to combat what he described as "escalating Tramadol phenomenon".
Chief Prosecutor Waleed Ali Khalifa Al Fuqaie, Head of Drugs Prosecution at Dubai Public Prosecution, cautioned the public that consuming Tramadol (a controlled medicine) in an excessive manner or selling it without prescription "is an act punishable by law".
"The phenomenon of selling Tramadol in an unlawful manner has been on the rise. We have probed in 21 cases of trafficking Tramadol since January 2010. I am sending out a serious and stern warning to the public that we will be tailing and prosecuting any individual who sells Tramadol without a proper licence from the concerned authorities or consumes Tramadol excessively. Today I stress and vow that we will be very stringent with illegal traffickers and smugglers of Tramadol. We will also prosecute any person who consumes Tramadol without a medical prescription," Chief Prosecutor Al Fuqaie told a media gathering.
Misdemeanour charge
He said suspects, who sell Tramadol illegally or consume it for other than medical reasons will be charged with trafficking mind-affecting substances or consuming it, and referred to the Dubai Misdemeanours Court as per article 41 of the Anti-Narcotics Law.
The Drugs Prosecution recently referred six cases involving defendants who sold Tramadol without obtaining proper permission.
"We identify Tramadol peddlers as ‘petite peddlers' or ‘novice peddlers'. The Dubai Misdemeanours Court recently convicted three suspects [in separate cases] of unlawfully selling Tramadol. An Emirati defendant was jailed six months and fined Dh5,000 for selling 200 Tramadol pills. A Pakistani suspect was jailed for one year and deported for selling 680 pills. Another Emirati was fined Dh5,000 for selling 31 pills. Three Emirati suspects, who sold 100, 80 and 10 Tramadol pills respectively [in three separate cases], are currently being prosecuted before the Misdemeanours Court," he said.
The chief drugs prosecutor said they cooperate closely with Dubai Police's Anti-Narcotics Department "to combat the Tramadol phenomenon".
"Anti-narcotics police officers have constantly and repeatedly asked us to look into the legality of incriminating suspects who consume Tramadol without prescription. Tramadol is a controlled medicine and could be bought over the counter upon a prescription. Tramadol is a painkiller that if a person uses excessively, it influences the nervous system, causes hallucination and makes one lose awareness or leads to addiction. It has been noticed that Tramadol is common among Emiratis, expatriates and stateless people," he said.
He said the average age of Tramadol peddlers is 20-40. A suspect, who sells Tramadol illegally, could face six months to one year in jail and/or a Dh5,000-10,000 fine. "When the novice peddlers learnt about the recent court convictions against Tramadol peddlers, we noticed a decrease in the number of similar cases. Our cooperation with the Anti-Narcotics Department was very fruitful. We are very determined to further our war against the illegal sale of Tramadol. We have come across cases involving deaths caused by excessive consumption of Tramadol," he said.
Complications: Not for addicts
Tramadol is a narcotic-like pain reliever. The drug's extended-release action helps treat moderate to chronic pain when treatment is needed round the clock. The drug is not be used by someone with prior history of drug or alcohol addiction.
