NGO urges state govt to allow prescription of opium, says it will help tackle drug menace

Stating that due to synthetic drugs, addicts are becoming impotent, crime is rising and so are cases of divorce, the NGO submitted that the Punjab Cabinet should amend the NDPS Act and there should be no police case against those possessing 5 grams opium and 500 grams poppy husk.

Stating that due to synthetic drugs, addicts are becoming impotent, crime is rising and so are cases of divorce, the NGO submitted that the Punjab Cabinet should amend the NDPS Act and there should be no police case against those possessing 5 grams opium and 500 grams poppy husk. (Representational/ File)

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Dr Dwarka Nath Kotnis Health & Education Centre, Ludhiana, has urged the Punjab government to give opium or poppy husk on prescription to drug addicts in a controlled way, saying this will help in tackling the drug problem in the state.

In a letter to the Punjab Governor, CM, ministers and all MLAs, Iqbal Singh Gill (Retd) IPS officer and Dr Inderjeet Singh Project Director of Dr Dwarka Nath Kotnis Health and Education Centre (Charitable Acupunture Hospital and Research Centre), Ludhiana, said, “If one takes synthetic drugs, it is physically and mentally harmful. But it has been noticed that if one takes opium or poppy husk, there are no physical or mental side effects. Also, people who take synthetic drugs do not think before committing any crime as they lose their mental balance. Thus rapes, thefts, snatching are on the rise in Punjab. Besides, cases of divorce have also increased.”

The NGO has also suggested the government to take up the pilot project in one or two districts for a ‘drugs free’ Punjab along with the traditional system of medicines such as Acupuncture, Ayurveda etc.

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