Crackdown on Illegal Pharma Sales Targets Addiction Crisis

A special operation by the J-K Drugs and Food Control Organisation led to the suspension of nine drug sale licences to curb pharmaceutical misuse in Jammu and Kashmir. Unscrupulous dealers were found distributing addiction-prone drugs illegally, resulting in the seizure of stocks worth over Rs 13.58 lakh.

Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir took decisive action on Saturday, suspending the drug sale licences of nine dealers. This was part of a concerted drive to tackle the misuse of addictive pharmaceuticals, according to an official source. The operation was spearheaded by the J-K Drugs and Food Control Organisation.

Unscrupulous dealers were found clandestinely handling pharmaceuticals containing the habit-forming ingredient Pregabalin. Some wholesale dealers procured these products from external suppliers illegally. Furthermore, they distributed them without maintaining proper sales records, contravening the Drugs & Cosmetics Act, 1940.

As a result of the operation, stocks worth over Rs 13.58 lakh were seized. J-K State Drugs Controller Lotika Khajuria issued a stern warning against violations, pledging strict enforcement of a government zero-tolerance policy against drug abuse, which includes licence cancellations and legal repercussions.

(With inputs from agencies.)