Are the prescription drugs being misused by addicts?
25 Feb, 2012
Information obtained under the RTI Act indicates an alarming trend of use of prescription drugs in place of ‘drugs’ by the addicts and those who wish to experiment with the ‘drugs’. Data obtained from the Chandigarh police using the RTI Act indicates that there has been a five-fold jump in consumption of prescription drugs in the past three years. Information reveals that Chandigarh has seen a dip in trade and seizure of narcotic substances, including smack, charas and ganja. No case of cocaine seizures have been reported by the police in past three years and the last case was made in 2009 where 100gm cocaine was seized. In comparison, it is seen that while merely 38 prohibited injections and 50 capsules were recovered in 2009, the figures jumped to 3,864 capsules and 190 tablets in 2011. These prohibited drugs were seized from medical stores, and some from the youths of Chandigarh.
The reason behind the rising popularity of prescription drugs could be their easy availability in the market, unlike narcotic substances like charas and smack. This trend is only a sample, as similar rise of abuse of prescription drugs is likely in all major cities.