The Nov 8 meeting heard concerns that students in several Ho Chi Minh City junior high schools are alarmingly abusing or coaxed into using Recotus, a non-prescription cough medicine, which can create illusions and even death in case of overdose.

The meeting was attended by officials from the Ministries of Education, Health and Public Security and the HCMC Department of Education.

According to Tran Thi Kim Thanh, deputy head of HCMC Department of Education, since 2009, a number of students at several local junior high schools including Tran Quoc Tuan school in district 7, Quang Trung school in district 4 and Ngo Si Lien school in Tan Binh district have been caught using Recotus. Some were even found to take up to 6 or 7 pills at one go.

Teachers at Tang Bat Ho junior high school in district in late Sept 2013 found that seven school girls had 20 Recotus pills on them. The girls said that while they were sitting in front of the school gate, they were tempted into taking the pills by a girl, who had dropped out of the school.

The strange girl told them that when the drug takes effect, they will be unusually ecstatic, worry-free and fearless of their teachers or exams.

Proctors at Lu Gia junior high school in district 11 late last month detected strange behaviors, including dull faces, stuttering, and delirious states among a group of eight-graders, who were keeping the drug in their school bags.

According to Bui Duc Phong, from the Ministry of Health, Recotus comprises of dextromethorphan, a derivative from morphine, and diprophyllin HCl, a derivative from theophyllin. The highest permissible dose is four pills per day, with one taken every four hours and in a limited number of days. Taking four to six pills a time can cause illusions and allergic reactions, and even sudden death.

“A number of students seek solace in the drug as they fail to share their feelings with others. They’re ignorant of or don’t mind the dangerous side-effects and get addicted after a few first tries,” Thanh added.

Phong pointed to the worrying fact that Recotus is easily accessible and fetches cheap prices, only VND7-8,000 (US$0.4) for 10 pills. 

School principals have come up with drastic measures to cope with the situation, including raising students’ awareness, providing counseling in how to react to temptations and forging better communication between classes. They also called on the police to warn local pharmacies against selling the Recotus to kids, who aren’t accompanied by their parents, and urged for the formation of a special force to protect the students from being coerced into taking the drug.

Several attendants at the meeting also suggested that the Ministry of Health list Recotus as an addictive, prescription drug, strictly ban local pharmacies from selling the drug to kids and impose penalties on violators.