Worrying symptom: Drugs meant for de-addiction centres easily available

The supply chain for narcotics sales in the city thrives on small inventories of addictive medicine drugs, say police officials.

Written by Saurabh Prashar

Chandigarh | May 1, 2017 05:00 AM IST

5 min read

Drug addicition menace in Punjab, PSEB officials

“What worries us is the supply of medicine drugs and injections has been increasing in the last few years.”

One of City Beautiful’s open secrets is its vulnerability to the drug menace sweeping neighbouring Punjab. Addiction to a variety of narcotic substances among youth is on a smaller scale than in Punjab but worrying nonetheless. Since 2014, there have been at least two cases of death due to drug overdose every year.

Police and anti-narcotics officials say addiction to the opioid substitute Buprenorphine, packets of which always have printed on them that it is meant for use only registered de-addiction centres; Pheniramine Maleate, a common anti-histamine, also known as Avil, and heroin among young people has been a matter of concern in the last few years. There have also been recoveries of Spasmo Proxyvoron, a pain killer containing the opioid dexdropropoxyphene. Charas or hash is in vogue among school and college going students of Chandigarh.

Chandigarh Police make frequent arrests of drug pedlars and make seizures of banned substances from them. On April 12, Jaipal of Mohali was arrested near Maloya village and 94 Buprenorphine injections were recovered from him. On April 15, Faizal Khan of Mohali was arrested and 20 injections of Buprenorphine were recovered from him near Manimajra. On February 9, four people — Vijay Dass, Ravi, Rinku and Sukhjinder Singh — were arrested in Burail, Sector 45, and 340 injections of Buprenorphine Omegesic recovered from them.

Sources in NCB say, “What worries us is the supply of medicine drugs and injections has been increasing in the last few years. We have been taking up this issue with local health department and neighbouring state’s health departments too.”

The easy availability of Buprenophine and Tramadol, both used in treatment of drug addiction, is especially worrisome, Buprenophine is banned for retail sale, and is administered only to in-patients at de-addiction centres. Tramadol is available only with doctors’ prescriptions. The huge seizures of these medicines made by police and NCB points to a black market in these restricted drugs, which in turn points to the demand for these opioid substitutes.
In 2013, about 629 injections of Buprenorphine and Pheniramine Maleate were seized. In 2014 the number of bottles of injectable medicine drugs had gone up to nearly 4,000 along with 700 tables. The number has gone up steadily over the years.

In the first four months of 2017, a total 1,103 injections along with 200 bottles of syrups have been seized. Most of the seized capsules and tablets were of Spasmo Proxyvon, Bupernophine and Pheniramine Maleate. The seizures were made by NCB and Chandigarh Police. Corex, a cough syrup, is another addiction. Doctors say that wide misuse of Avil, Corex and Spasmo Proxyvon has come to light. Even the anti-dairrohea medicine Lobomil is being misused.

Zonal director, NCB, Kaustubh Sharma says, “Mushrooming unauthorised medical stores and chemist shops in villages such as Burail, Kajheri, Batterla and Naya Gaon, are points of supply. Prohibited injections and capsules are also being sold by some persons from their houses to addicts. Some of these suppliers are getting their supply from Ambala.”

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Sharma says young persons aged between 14 and 38 are most vulnerable.

While marijuana/cannabis plants grow freely in many places in Chandigarh, they do not worry the police or NCB officials as much as the distribution of medicine drugs. Law enforcers say the growth of marijuna in and around Chandigarh is wild and is not planned cultivation, unlike in remote areas of Himachal Pradesh, nor does it provide the kick that addicts look for.

The supply chain for narcotics sales in the city thrives on small inventories of addictive medicine drugs, say police officials. The suppliers deliberately do not accept huge stocks for fear of being caught by law enforcement agencies, a police official says. Their main areas of operation are Chandigarh’s rehabilitation colonies.

“We have not found a single case till now in which medicine drugs are being supplied by suppliers and purchased by addicts at any late night clubs or discotheques,” says DSP (Crime) Pawan Kumar. Both Chandigarh Police and NCB officials say that heroin, charas, and smack are the club drugs. Officials also suspect cocaine is in use in the city though they concede to not having had a single seizure or arresting with this drug.

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Between January 1 and April 25 this year, 12 peddlers, including four women, have been arrested for supplying medicine drugs to addicts and these one dozen people were arrested from slum areas like Palsora, Kajheri, Rehabilitation Colony, Sector 25, Manimajra, Kishangarh and other villages.

“One of the arrested peddlers is Akshay of Sector 38, who has been arrested twice by NCB. He belongs to a well- to-do family and his interrogation revealed the names of more than half a dozen late night clubs, including discos, pubs, hotels located in sectors 22 and 35 in Chandigarh and also in Zirakpur,” says an NCB officer.

The first time Akshay was arrested near Mandi in Himachal in August 2016. He was returning from Manali, and a seizure of charas was made from him (500 gm). The second time he was arrested along with Kulwinder Kaur for carrying 690gm charas near Night Food Street in November last year. Currently, Akshya is out on bail.

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