Addicts demand prescribed medicines

BARNALA: A number of addicts of poppy husk and poppy pods of Barnala, Moga, Ludhiana, Mansa and Sangrur districts spent the whole day in the civil hospital here waiting and protesting for the de-addiction medicines prescribed by the psychiatrist in the hospital.

The addicts hur riedly lined up in front of the Jan Aushadhi store when the medicines arrived in evening on Wednesday.

The drug, buprenorphine with naloxone combination, was available with one chemist only in the district, which he discontinued to stock about a week ago after the drug inspector asked him not to sell it citing a circular of the drug controller general of India (DCGI).

An addict Tara Singh, 65, of Mehal Khurd village said, “I was addicted to poppy husk for the last 45 years. It cost ` 20 per kg when I started taking it, but these days it is not available even at ` 3,500 a kg. This medicine is the easiest and workable method for de-addiction. We should either be provided the medicine or poppy husk should be made available to us.” Secretary of Indian Red Cross Society here, Raj Kumar Jindal, said, “We have got 90 boxes of 100 tablets each today in the evening. We have ordered another 300 boxes. Everything will be normal in a day or two.” Civil surgeon Dr Renu passed the buck on the SMO saying that it was his responsibility. she said that she was in no way connected with the availability of medicines.