The government is keeping on medical stores in the city out pharmaceutical drug Chemist shops near schools and colleges

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), in its annual report for 2015, pointed out that abuse of pharmaceutical drugs in India has assumed serious proportions in recent times and the problem seems to be more serious in the Northeast and Northwest region of the country. Common pharmaceutical products that are abused include buprenorphine, codeinebased cough syrups, alprazolam, diazepam and some other sedatives.

"It is extremely important to identify the drug problem in Delhi. There are lots of drug users in the Capital and we need to get hold of the root cause of the problem," Darswal said.

As per the department's directions, all non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) such as Aspirin, Disprin, Ibuprofen and Diclofenac cannot be sold as over-the counter drugs by chemists. In last one year, the department has cancelled licenses of 15 chemists for violating rules.

"Some spots have been already identified and we have stopped issuing license in these areas. Various children have been interviewed to understand problem. Drug peddling has become a serious concern. Standard operating procedure is being followed," Darswal said.

Educationists have appreciated the move. "It is a great step taken by the government. It is extremely important to keep a watch on the youngsters these days," said Goldy Malhotra, Director, Academic Staff College and Administration, Manav Rachna International Schools.

CAPITAL OVERDOSE

"Many medicines do have substances which can lead to addictions. These chemists sometimes even sell the medicines without prescription. Also, this is not only about the drugs but even the basic medicines should not be sold to the kids without having any prescriptions."
A knowledge sharing workshop was recently conducted in which various officials from the Delhi Police and CBI participated and discussed ways to tackle this growing problem.

Recently, Delhi Department of Health has also issued orders to various departments to ensure that no banned drugs are available in the shops. "The practice of selling drugs without a prescription is a worrying issue. Today, pharma companies are spending huge amount of money on research of molecules.

There are many drugs in the market that have potential of having drug abuse. A stricter guideline is need of the hour," said Dharmil Seth, co-founder, PharmEasy, an online platform which connects offline pharmacy.

The NCB report also underlined the fact that though there was a perception that pharmaceutical drugs were less harmful than hard drugs like heroin, cocaine etc, this was a misconception, "Since these can be addictive and also have a debilitating effect on health".

Pharmaceutical preparations having narcotic or psychotropic substances are under the purview of the Drugs and Cosmetic Act and the NDPS Act in India. Law enforcement agencies have increasingly seizing sizeable quantities of Alprazolam, Zolpidem Tramadol, Stidonafil tablets.


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