As the world marked the 2026 World Drug Day on Friday, residents of Rivers State and healthcare professionals renewed calls for stronger government intervention to combat the twin threats of substance abuse and the proliferation of substandard and falsified medicines, warning that both pose grave dangers to public health, security and national development.

Residents of Port Harcourt appealed to the Rivers State Government to intensify efforts at curbing the growing abuse of illicit drugs, which they said is fuelling criminality and insecurity across the state.

The residents expressed concern over the increasing rate of hard drug abuse among young people, noting that many addicts resort to robbery, cultism and other criminal activities to finance their addiction.

According to them, beyond law enforcement, government must invest in sustained public enlightenment campaigns, rehabilitation programmes and youth empowerment initiatives to address the root causes of substance abuse.

The calls coincided with the 2026 Annual General Meeting, Scientific Conference and Project Launch of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), Rivers State Chapter, held at the Justice Mary Odili Judicial Institute in Port Harcourt from June 24 to 26.

The conference, themed “Combating the Epidemic of Substandard Drugs and Falsified Medication: A Call to Coalition,” brought together pharmacists, health experts and other stakeholders to chart strategies for eliminating counterfeit medicines from Nigeria’s healthcare system.

Delivering a keynote address, South Korean pharmacist, Cho Hyun Mi, urged Nigerian pharmacists to strengthen medicine distribution systems and build public confidence in community pharmacy practice as part of efforts to eliminate fake drugs.

She stressed that pharmacists occupy a strategic position in healthcare delivery and should champion the adoption of smart medicine security systems capable of guaranteeing safe drug circulation.

According to her, quality pharmaceutical products, adherence to professional standards and trust-based relationships with communities remain critical to protecting patients from harmful medicines.

Also speaking, National Chairman of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria, Ezeh Ambrose Igwekanma, described the conference theme as timely, saying the menace of substandard and falsified medicines requires collective action from manufacturers, regulators, distributors, healthcare providers and consumers.

He identified the proliferation of open drug markets across the country as one of the major factors sustaining the circulation of fake medicines.

Igwekanma called on the Federal Government to establish coordinated wholesale drug centres where pharmaceutical manufacturers can distribute products under regulated conditions before retailers purchase them.

He also urged regulatory agencies to strengthen surveillance, improve product tracking mechanisms and intensify enforcement against counterfeit drug syndicates.

The Chairman of ACPN, Rivers State Council, Chief Nengi Lawson, described substandard medicines as a growing public health emergency that demands collaboration across all sectors.

He disclosed that the association plans to introduce mechanisms that would enable members of the public to easily identify licensed pharmacies and distinguish them from illegal drug outlets.

Lawson said the initiative would be accompanied by sustained public enlightenment campaigns to educate Nigerians on how to patronise only registered pharmacies and avoid counterfeit medicines.

According to him, safeguarding the nation’s health requires the support of government, professional bodies, security agencies and the general public.

Earlier in his welcome address, Chairman of the Conference Planning Committee, Pharm. Okeke Uchechukwu, described fake and substandard medicines as a major public health crisis responsible for treatment failures, avoidable deaths and the growing challenge of antimicrobial resistance.

He warned that every counterfeit antibiotic or fake antimalarial drug represents a direct threat to patient safety, stressing that defeating the menace would require collaboration rather than isolated efforts.

Okeke urged participants to explore innovative approaches to supply chain security, pharmacovigilance, medicine authentication technologies and public education during the scientific sessions.