DKI BPOM explains that misuse of medicines can trigger student brawls

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The DKI Jakarta Major Drug and Food Supervisory Agency (BPOM) states that the misuse of Certain Medicines (OOT) can trigger deviant actions, namely brawls among students. “Consumption of OOT without medical supervision can cause serious effects on health up to death. Misuse of OOT can also trigger deviant actions, such as student brawls,” said the Head of BPOM in Jakarta, Sofiyani Chandrawati Anwar, during an educational event themed “Smartly Choosing Safe Medicines, Beware of Misuse of Certain Medicines (OOT)” at the Bulungan Sports Hall, South Jakarta, on Thursday. Through this activity, Sofiyani hopes that the public will become wiser in using medicines and play an active role in preventing misuse in their surroundings. This effort is a strategic step in empowering the community to curb the circulation and misuse of OOT such as Tramadol, Trihexyphenidyl, and Dextromethorphan. According to her, OOT are types of medicines that act on the central nervous system, besides narcotics and psychotropics. Use above the therapeutic dose can cause dependence as well as changes in mental activity and behaviour. Therefore, the community’s role in supervising medicines is very important. “We want the public to always buy medicines from official sources and consume them according to the usage instructions. Misuse of medicines not only violates regulations but also endangers health and safety of life,” she said. Sofiyani explained that the event, which took place on Tuesday (7/4), was attended by around 300 participants from Kramat Pela Ward, Kebayoran Baru, as well as Grogol Selatan Ward, Kebayoran Lama. Thus, her side invites all elements of society to jointly protect the young generation from the dangers of medicine misuse. Education is considered important so that the public is not easily influenced by misleading information. “The public’s enthusiasm was high during the event. This shows that awareness of the importance of education related to medicines is increasing,” she said.