CHENNAI: Health Secretary Supriya Sahu wrote to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) requesting his intervention to ban websites that sell habit-forming (addictive) drugs, particularly tapentadol, in violation of existing laws. In her letter, Sahu pointed out the state police and the drugs control department have reported a worrisome trend of offenders procuring the drugs through online platforms.
She said states have not been empowered to block such websites under current provisions of law, hampering its efforts to combat the menace effectively.
In the letter dated November 12 to DCGI Dr Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi, Sahu said the situation undermines the state’s ongoing initiatives aimed at preventing drug abuse among students and the public.
The sale of Schedule H and H1 medicines without a prescription from a registered medical practitioner and without the supervision is a clear violation of Section 18(c) of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 read with rules 65(9)(a) and 65(2) of the Drugs Rules, 1945 respectively. The lack of transparency regarding the sellers’ licence further exacerbates the issue, making it difficult to trace and monitor illegal transactions, Sahu added.
She said the officers face considerable challenges in controlling the flow of these substances through online channels, which often evade regulatory scrutiny. “As the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 is a Central Act, I urge you to expedite the formulation of regulations governing the online sale of pharmaceuticals. Such regulations are essential to safeguard public health and ensure that drug sales are conducted legally and responsibly,” she said.
Along with the letter, Sahu also attached various newspaper reports, including that of TNIE, on such misuse in Tamil Nadu.