Even as youths are fast becoming addicted to habit forming drugs, a special drug squad led by Sambalpur Drug Inspector has been formed to raid various medicine stores across the town.
The squad along with police and Excise officials has been conducting raids since Tuesday evening and so far collected 18 samples which will be sent to the Government lab for tests.
Sambalpur Drug Inspector Priyaranjan Nayak said of the 18 medicine samples collected from stores, a maximum were ones containing Codeine Phosphate which is sedative and cannot be sold without prescription.
Nayak added that they have also received allegations about habit forming drugs being sold in betel shops.