Drugs board looks at reclassifying Nubain

CEBU - Nubain or nalbuphine hydrochloride, a kind of drug supposedly solely used as analgesic in the conduct of medical operation might soon be reclassified as dangerous drugs.

Nubain occurs as white to off-white crystalline powder that is soluble in water and alcohol. It is a synthetic opioid agonist-antagonist analgesic of the phenanthrene series.

Its analgesic potency is essentially equivalent to that of morphine. The most common effects are sleepiness and mild dysphoria.

The Dangerous Drugs Board now looks at reclassifying Nubain into dangerous drug because it is already considered alternative drug by dependents who cannot afford to buy methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu.

DDB Undersecretary Clarence Paul Oaminal said that based on reports, their office has been receiving reports that Nubain has been abused in rehabilitation centers. And worse, even if they want to castigate and confiscate, they could hardly do such because under the law, the use of Nubain is not prohibited.

In 2006, the DDB has already proposed that such drug be classified as dangerous but the proposal was rejected on same year because of the lobbying pharmaceutical companies.

But this time, Oaminal said that DDB chairman Vicente “Tito” Sotto III vowed to support the reclassification and said that “no lobbying companies could stop them from doing what they think is right.”

Oaminal noted that in Cebu, they have caught transacted Nubain in Mandaue City and Mactan Cebu International Airport.

Nubain and marijuana are considered alternative drugs by drug users. – Jessica Ann R. Pareja/MEEV(THE FREEMAN)