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| How can drug abuse be checked unless sale without prescriptions is banned? | | |
Early Times Report
Jammu, Feb 25: Unauthorized medicine retail shops selling sub-standard and even spurious medicines is a problem the State has been battling with for too long despite the Government claiming frequent 'crackdowns' on such retail outlets.
As across the counter medicines are available to people in the State from thousands of retail outlets in cities and villages the menace is believed to be supporting a huge drug abuse racket that has destroyed the lives of thousands of people especially the youth. One has to just name a medicine and without asking for any prescription from atleast some registered medical practitioner, the salesmen immediately oblige the buyers.
Some of the drugs whose sale is banned under the law are also available at these retail outlets. A recent survey indicates that J&K stands at serial number one so far sale and purchase of medicines is concerned. Besides unscrupulous traders indulging in unlawful trade practices and selling some of the most harmful medicines to addicts and habitual users the scourge of medicine availability across the counter encourages self-medication.
Any qualified medical practitioner will tell you that the massive abuse of life-saving drugs like the antibiotics has rendered most of these useless while combating infections. People have developed the habit of using antibiotics like toffees. Not only are mandatory dozes and durations of antibiotics ignored, but their frequent and indiscriminate use creates resistance among the bacteria these are employed to kill.
Although the sale of medicines without a prescription from a registered medical practitioner is unlawful according to the State Drug Control Act, the law is observed more in its breach. Occasionally raiding parties of the Drug Controller's office here and in the Valley have sealed unauthorized medicine retail outlets, but the campaign against such unauthorized shops is only cosmetic because something more effective and massive is needed to check the racket.
Reliable inside sources suggest that there is a well knit nexus between the officials of the Drug Controller office and unauthorized medicine retail outlets in the State. Despite tall claims of creating infrastructure and modern facilities for healthcare the State Government has so far failed to control or check the racket of unauthorized medicine retail outlets. No healthcare concern will succeed unless there is a blanket ban on unauthorized medicine retail outlets. The State Government will have to act with firmness and resolve. Unless this is done the scourge of free availability of medicines threatening the lives of thousands of people especially the youth will continue to haunt the State. |
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