Alprazolam misuse: CP brings pharmacy owners on radar

Nagpur: City police chief Amitesh Kumar on Tuesday said the stringent narcotics drugs and psychotropic substances (NDPS) Act would be invoked against pharmacy owners and consumers of scheduled drug Alprazolam, which is used to treat anxiety and panic disorders, if anyove is found misusing it. This drug, belonging to the class of Benzodiazepines, is used as a sedative as well.
In the backdrop of at least two murders in Pachpaoli where maximum minors were involved and also the overall misuse of the Alprazolam drugs by addicts, Kumar has issued a sweeping check on pharmacies across the city to detect the unregulated sale of the medicine without prescription. He has started a crackdown on narcotics drugs and such substances as a large chunk of youngsters and criminals are resorting to their abuse.
Kumar said the association of pharmacists has been requested to furnish the sale and purchase of the Alprazolam drug which is being misused for addiction and seems to be having a direct or indirect association with crime. “Though the checking of the drug sale and its irregularities are covered under the Drugs and the Cosmetics Act, we have decided to invoke the more stringent NDPS Act against violators as the misuse of the drug is triggering serious crimes,” said the top cop.
“If the sale of Alprazolam is more near slums and criminal-infested areas rather than at places having hospitals or clinics in the vicinity then it’s a matter of serious concern and investigation which will prompt us to check pharmacies in such places to check whom the drug was issued and how,’ he said.
Kumar had initiated a raid at 86 places on Monday by an equal numbers of teams from different police stations and crime branch across the city. In the raids, more than 24 persons were arrested and substantial narcotics and contraband substances worth Rs 24 lakh were recovered and seized. Search operations were undertaken at 36 places too under the supervision of the CP and other senior officers.
“We have also initiated a process of checking the purchasers of the costly narcotic drugs Mephedrone (MD) after peddlers were arrested,” said the top cop.