KOCHI: It’s not ganja or hashish alone, Kerala is alarmingly emerging as a major market for opioids like buprenorphine, nitrazepam, phenegran, diazepam, mandrax, amphetamine, morphine, pentazocin and pseudoephedrine, which are illegally used by drug addicts. The latest data with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) reveals that there has been 700 per cent rise in the seizure of such drugs in Kerala in 2018 compared to 2017, indicating that more volume of such tablets is being smuggled into the state.
A report on ‘Magnitude of substance use in India’ published this year by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment says the use of hallucinogens was high among the people in Kerala.“About 0.03 per cent of Indians (about 3.4 lakh people) need help owing to their harmful or dependent use of hallucinogens. States with sizable numbers of hallucinogen users are Maharashtra (6 lakh), Telangana (2 lakh), Kerala (1 lakh)and Delhi (63,000),” the report said.
As per the MHA data, while 2,478 tablets were seized in Kerala in 2017, it rose to 17,981 in 2018.
State Excise Commissioner S Aananthakrishnan said there has been an increase in the number of people using such drugs. “However, the main issue is that the rackets are using the state as a transit point for smuggling out the tablets to smaller countries like the Maldives, which is matter of concern,” he said.
The data also showed that Kerala was second to Punjab in the number of arrests in connection with drug cases in 2018. As many as 9,862 people were arrested from Kerala in 2018, next to Punjab with 13,743 arrests.
“It’s the youths who are mostly into using tablets like nitrazepam, phenegran and diazepam, which are otherwise prescribed for various psychic ailments. Teenagers, mostly those in colleges, are addicted to such prescription drugs and they use it for the intoxicating effect. Also, a majority of the young opioid addicts are multi-addicts, who use either alcohol or cannabis,” said Suresh Ninan, senior psychiatrist at Caritas Hospital.He said the misuse of the psychotropic drugs is rampant in spite of tough laws for monitoring over-the-counter sale of such drugs.
Intoxicated state
As per the MHA data, while 2,478 tablets were seized in Kerala in 2017, it rose to 17,981 in 2018.
The rackets are using the state as a transit point for smuggling
out tablets to smaller countries like the Maldives
Kerala was second to Punjab in the number of arrests in connection with drug cases in 2018.
Misuse of psychotropic drugs is rampant in spite of tough laws for monitoring over-the-counter sale.
