A disturbing upward trend in polydrug use among Barbados’ young population, blending over-the-counter medications with unregulated illicit substances, has spurred urgent concern at the highest levels of the island nation’s government, a senior cabinet minister told the House of Assembly this week.
Speaking on the floor of the chamber Tuesday, People Empowerment Minister Adrian Forde revealed that the growing crisis of mixed-substance abuse—particularly the dangerous combination of legal pharmaceuticals and illicit street drugs among youth—has kept Prime Minister Mia Mottley and the entire cabinet deeply troubled. Polydrug use, defined as the simultaneous or sequential consumption of multiple substances, can span everything from illicit narcotics to legally available products including alcohol, prescription and over-the-counter medicines.
“This pattern of poly-drug usage is causing sleepless nights for all of us in government, especially as elected representatives and cabinet members,” Forde stated. “That worry extends directly to the prime minister, as we see not just adults but young people experimenting with new, powerful drug combinations that were unheard of here just a few years ago.”
Forde outlined the key drivers of the growing trend: young people are increasingly skipping regulated pharmacies to source medications from unlicensed vendors, then turning to mobile internet to research and mix potent substances with no medical guidance. “A dangerous culture is creeping into our country where young people obtain over-the-counter medications outside of formal pharmacy channels,” he explained. “They don’t get advice from trained pharmacists—instead, they pull up information on their phones, scroll through internet research, and mix different substances based on what they find online, with zero oversight.”
One particularly prevalent dangerous combination highlighted by the minister is the so-called “lean” concoction, made by mixing codeine phosphate-containing cough syrups purchased off store shelves with soft drinks and candy. “These young people mix codeine cough syrup with Sprite and Jolly Ranchers to make ‘lean,’ but they’re really leaning straight into trouble,” Forde warned. “Right here in Barbados, we’re seeing young people lose control entirely after using this mixture; they can’t even remember what they did while under the influence. This is one of the greatest fights our country must come together to win: rooting out polydrug use among our population.”
Forde also drew attention to loopholes in border control that allow illicit synthetic drugs to enter the country hidden as everyday consumer products. Illegal substances including ecstasy and methamphetamine—commonly called “Mollies” among users—are being imported into Barbados mislabeled as dietary or herbal supplements, he confirmed. “These drugs are coming across our borders disguised as vitamins,” he said. “If a shipment is labeled as yohimbe or ginseng capsules, it needs random, rigorous testing. Lab reports must confirm these containers actually hold the herbal supplements they claim to, not methamphetamine, which we’ve found is happening too often. This is where both drug safety monitoring and border vigilance have to be stepped up dramatically.”
The urgent push for tighter regulation comes as the new Barbados Medical Products Bill was tabled in the House of Assembly Tuesday, following its initial reading in the Senate. The legislation would replace the outdated 1950 Therapeutic Substance Act with a far stricter modern framework for drug regulation and enforcement, updating decades-old drug control rules to address 21st-century threats. Under the new law, authorized inspectors will gain the power to enter and search any premises suspected of involvement in the unregulated distribution of mind-altering substances.
Forde emphasized that the bill includes stiff penalties for anyone who violates the new regulations, including those who falsify prescriptions or alter drug labels. “Anyone who breaks this law can face summary conviction in magistrate’s court, with fines up to 50,000 Barbadian dollars or five years imprisonment,” he said. “I support these harsh penalties because we’re dealing with human lives—this is a matter of life and death. We cannot afford to lose young lives to people playing Russian roulette with unregulated medications.”
Beyond addressing the immediate polydrug crisis, Forde framed the new legislation as a response to broader global public health threats, naming antimicrobial resistance as a critical challenge on par with climate change, biodiversity loss, and systemic pollution. He urged Barbadians to avoid unsafe antibiotic practices such as stopping treatment courses early, and to stop disposing of expired medications in gullies, where the drugs can leach into drinking water sources and harm marine ecosystems.
Crucially, the bill also creates new pathways for sustainable economic development in the pharmaceutical sector, Forde explained. By establishing clear, modern quality standards, the legislation will create a framework that allows Barbadian scientists to research and develop new pharmaceutical products derived from the island’s native natural resources. “Imagine pairing traditional local knowledge with rigorous modern science, building a domestic industry around these resources, and marketing these products globally as a small island developing state,” Forde said. “This bill creates the space to do that with the right technology and regulatory guardrails. Now is the right time to put these mechanisms in place, to build an industry that can help secure this country’s future while protecting public health.”