Addicts in Punjab shifting to pharmaceutical drugs: NCB chief

New Delhi, July 2016:

Drug Addicts in Punjab are shifting to pharmaceutical drugs like Tramadol and Buprenorphine, Home Minister Rajnath Singh was informed by Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) DG Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar during a review meeting Wednesday.

He told Singh that apart from drugs like heroin and cannabis, newer drugs that are synthetic in nature are also entering the market. According to him, pharmaceutical drugs that are easily available and cheaper are now being abused widely. However, they do not fall under the purview of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

Singh reviewed the working of NCB in view of the BRICS heads of Drug Control Agencies 2nd Working Group Meeting to be held in New Delhi on July 8.

During the review, the situation in Punjab came up. It was then that the DG NCB apprised Singh of the changing drug abuse pattern in the state. The Indian Express