The downed shutters of a medical store that was raided on Wednesday morning. Picture by Animesh Sengupta

Junkies high on cough syrups, beware. From Wednesday, a joint team of district health officials and police across Kolhan launched random raids across medical stores in urban and rural areas to prevent easy over-the-counter sale of habit-forming drugs without prescriptions and cash memos.

Sixteen medical stores were hauled up during the daylong raids carried out by Kolhan drug inspector S.K. Tiwary and police teams constituted by additional superintendent of police (ASP) Rajiv Ranjan Singh.

Two Jamshedpur shops — Jeet Medical in Bhuiyandih and Choudhury Medical in Mango — got suspension notices, while in Chaibasa township, West Singhbhum, the licences of Manohar Homeo Hall and Omega Drug Agency were cancelled.

While the Jamshedpur shops could not produce licence documents, the Chaibasa stores were found guilty of not asking for doctors’ prescriptions from customers or issuing them cash memos.

A dozen rural medical shopkeepers — scattered across Dalbhumgarh, Ghatshila and Tiruldih in East Singhbhum and Chowka in Seraikela-Kharsawan — received showcause for not producing licence papers during raids.

The 14 kiosks without licences have been asked to produce the papers within a month before the Chaibasa-based regional drug licensing authority, failing which they can be put behind bars.

Drug inspector Tiwary said these were serious to severe offences.

“Medical stores with such irregular practices are soft targets for persons who regularly buy habit-forming drugs to satisfy their cravings,” said Tiwary.

Police findings reveal that junkies buy three kinds of drugs — sedatives and hypnotics (Diazepam, Alprazolam), cough expectorant (Codium-based syrups) and opium-based drugs (Fortwin, Tidigesic).

“Through surprise raids, we aim to instil in medical shop owners the fear of punishment if they are found to not check prescriptions before selling drugs or avoid giving bills to customers or not keep licence papers on premises. Otherwise, medical stores will continue to violate Narcotics Drug and Psychotropic Substance (NDPS) Act, 1985, with impunity,” Tiwary said, adding there were around 1,000 licensed medical shops in the two Singhbhums and Seraikela-Kharsawan.

The drug inspector added they would also round up pharmaceutical wholesalers who sold drugs to retailers without first checking their licences.

“We have received complaints of that nature also. We will raid supply points. We have also conducted workshops and informed medical store owners and doctors about necessary steps that are mandated in the NDPS Act,” said Tiwary.

He made a final appeal to consumers. “Consuming prescription drugs to satisfy cravings is a vice that everyone must team up to stop. If consumers notice any medical store violating the NDPS Act, they can call 101. The police or district drug inspector will take up the complaints on the same day,” Tiwary said.