‘Ensure drugs are available only for medicinal purpose’

Considering the fact that youngsters were falling prey to drugs, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court said that duty was cast on the Drugs Controller to sensitise authorities and ensure that drugs were made available only for medicinal purposes.

Justice B. Pugalendhi observed that circulars should be issued to all pharmacies referring to the provisions of law. Periodical checks should also be conducted by the Drugs Controller of the region to ensure that the drugs were used only for medicinal purposes. Students fall prey and younger generations are innovating the types of sedations. It must be ensured that drugs consisting of narcotics and psychotropic substances are not made easily available to the people, the judge said.

The court made the observation while hearing the bail petition filed by Jayaraman alias Sony of Pudukkottai district. He was in possession of five tablets which contained narcotic drugs and a single-use syringe. It was submitted that he misused the drugs.

According to the prosecution, the tablets contained chemicals used in painkiller pills. Such pills were used only on prescription by doctors. But the petitioner was in possession of the drug and used it for sedation.

The court took into account the fact that he was in judicial custody for the past 90 days and granted him bail with conditions. It was said that while the petitioner had attempted to escape from the police, he was arrested and the tablets and a syringe were recovered from him.