Smugglers Target Pregabalin Misuse Amid Delays at Opioid Treatment Centre

Fast Summary

• Delays and overcrowding at the Outpatient Opioid Assisted Treatment (OOAT) center in Ropar,Punjab,are enabling drug smugglers to sell banned drugs to recovering addicts.
• Smugglers are openly selling high-dose Pregabalin capsules, commonly misused for psychoactive effects; these capsules cannot be sold without a prescription.
• Pilot project for digitized patient registration is underway but is causing long wait times and frustrations among patients.
• Pregabalin misuse has escalated despite being medically intended for nerve pain, epilepsy, anxiety disorders, and opioid withdrawal. Misuse of 150mg and 300mg doses is particularly rampant under street names like “Signature” or “Ghode Wale Capsules.”
• Health officials have raised concerns regarding the lack of sufficient resources to manage patient inflow along wiht gaps in enforcement due to Pregabalin’s exclusion from the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
• Law enforcement previously banned sale/stocking of Pregabalin above 75mg dosage but struggles with consistent implementation without legal reinforcement under NDPS regulations.

indian Opinion Analysis

The situation at ropar’s OOAT centre highlights critical challenges in combating substance abuse within India’s healthcare infrastructure. while digitization might modernize operations eventually,its premature rollout is aggravating logistical inefficiencies-delayed treatment access risks pushing recovering addicts back into harmful dependencies facilitated by illegal markets.Overcrowding underscores resource constraints that must be addressed through increased staffing or improved process management.

Pregabalin misuse exemplifies how regulatory ambiguities can hinder effective enforcement despite earlier bans on high dosages. Including such substances under national narcotic control laws may streamline policing efforts while protecting vulnerable individuals from addiction relapse or overdose dangers. However, resolving operational failings in facilities like OOAT centers remains equally vital as legal reforms to ensure extensive solutions against drug abuse problems persistently prevalent across Punjab.

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