The Anambra State House of Assembly has passed a motion making it an offence to hawk drug on streets or markets in the state.

Leading the debate, member representing Awka South1 Constituency, Nnamdi Okafor, said the bill sought to stop such hawking since the drugs might not have been tested nor the source and content known.

Okafor said any drug advertisement should obtain advert permit and licence from the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Control (NAFDAC).

“Get an outlet or location if you must practice where the manufacturer can be traced. In case of adverse effects, the manufacturer can be easily traced,” he said.

The member representing Anambra East, Obinna Emeneka, maintained that some of these drugs could be sub-standard, as they did not pass through accelerated testing to forecast how they could work on the body.

More so, Emeneka emphasised that these hawkers expose these drugs to the sun, causing degradation of the drugs, thus, harming the body, especially the liver and kidney.

At the end of the debate, the Speaker of the House, Rita Mmaduagwu called for voice votes and then, the bill was referred to two committees to report back in two weeks.

The two committees were House committee on Health and House committee on Judiciary; for professionalism, legal issues and objectivity for a positive and sound input before final passage into law.

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