No sale of syringes allowed without prescription

The Health Department authorities have been advised to ensure that chemist shop owners are not allowed to sell syringes and scheduled pharmaceutical medicines without a valid prescription of an authorised physician or practitioner.

Instructions were given by Malerkotla Deputy Commissioner Viraj S Tidkey during the concluding session of the periodical meeting of district-level norco coordination committee.

The administration, identifying drug abuse as a social crisis, besides being a law and order problem has also called upon members of social, constitutional and religious bodies to join hands with the government personnel in fight against the drug menace and rehabilitation of youths undergoing drug de-addiction treatment.

“Drug addiction is entirely different from normal crime as it is a social crisis which can’t be resolved without coordinated efforts of all sections of society, besides the civil and police administration,” said Tidkey.

He claimed that the Malerkotla district norco coordination committee had drafted a multi-dimensional plan to rope in social, constitutional and religious organisations for making the region drug free during the concluding phase of the ensuing Yudh Nashian Virudh campaign.

Mandi Ahmedgarh and Malerkotla SDM Gurmit Bansal, Amargarh SDM Surinder Kaur and Deputy Medical Commissioner Dr Rishma Bhaura were advised to ensure that medical stores and other related establishments were inspected and raided to check violation of instructions regarding sale of scheduled drugs. No counter should be allowed to sell syringes without valid prescription of a physician, said Tidkey.

DSP (D) Satish Kumar informed that the police under SSP Gagan Ajit Singh had arrested 24 drug peddlers after registering 13 cases under the NDPS Act during the month of September and recovered drugs and narcotics, including 323 gm heroin, 300 gm opium, 121.5 kg poppy husk, 320 habit forming capsules and tablets and four vehicles used in the crime.