Jammu, Nov 15: Owing to over the counter sale, prescription drug abuse is on rise among the youngsters in Jammu and Kashmir. A recent survey has revealed that at least twenty patients with addiction symptoms are screened at different Out Patient Departments (OPDs) of the state hospitals everyday.
 Figures revealed that 15 addicts are registered daily at Psychiatric hospital Aamphalla and Government Medical College and Hospital (GMC&H) Jammu.
 While in Kashmir, three addiction symptom patients are registered on daily basis at GMC&H Srinagar and Police Hospital Srinagar.
 The experts said the maximum addict youngsters consume prescription drugs due to easy accessibility over the counter, with no check on such practices from the law enforcement agencies.
 “For increasing their profit margin medical stores  sell  prescription medicines including Aprolozan, diazepam, lorizpam, high sedative cough syrup and notrizpam, on higher rates, which is totally against the norms ” they added.       
 Head of Department (HOD) Psychiatric Srinagar, Dr Arshad Hussian said that the four major reasons which lead youth to addiction include pressure of studies, personal and family problems, experimenting with new friends and adolescent situation. He said that office pressure and issues with colleagues also lead to addiction.
 He attributed the Medicinal use of opium and cannabis to the addiction in the Valley.      
 Head of Department (HOD) Psychiatric Jammu Dr Jagdish Raj Thapa said that they were at present treating 15 drug abuse patients per day without proper infrastructure. “Out of fifteen such patients, eight are youngsters,” he said.
 He said with huge migration and massive urbanization of Jammu city many rich families from the peripheral areas converged in the local culture, leading to such evils. “The youngsters of newly rich families were getting lured towards the lifestyle of some already addicted city youngsters and adopt the drug consumption as a trend,” Dr Thapa said. 
 He said that the drug abuse is mostly common in males and only one percent of female are addicted to drugs in the state. 
 Sources said that some youth get these intoxicant drugs by using prescriptions of elder allied family members   prescribed to them by the doctors.  
 When contacted, Drug controller Satish Verma refused to buy the idea and said that there was no over the counter sale of prescription drug. He said any person who manages to get such drugs without prescription can lodge a complaint with the Food and Drug Control Organisation and proper action would be taken against the drug store.

Lastupdate on : Thu, 15 Nov 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 15 Nov 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 16 Nov 2012 00:00:00 IST