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Bootleg toddy and diazepam rackets alarm authorities
Police and the Cosmetic Devices and Drug Regulatory Authority have commenced a joint operation to track down a racket involving the sale of diazepam (valium), a popular anxiety-relieving medicinal prescription drug, after 200,000 pills were recovered from a house in Kosgama.
Dr. Hemantha Benaragama
The raid took place last week and the suspect, who did not possess the licence to distribute to pharmacies, has confessed that he purchased the drug from another pharmacy in Pitakotte which also did not have a licence to stock large quantities of medicinal drugs.
Apart from the 200,000 pills, police found several empty boxes that had contained more quantities of this drug.
“As police further interrogated the suspect it was also revealed that he supplied to a toddy bottling and distribution hub in Kirindiwela, Kosgama where they add about 1,000 pills to 2,500 litres of toddy. There has been a growing demand for this special toddy,” said Director of the Cosmetics Devices and Drug Regulatory Authority, Dr. Hemantha Beneragama.
According to Dr.Beneragama, this could be a sign of a bigger racket, and the Health Ministry has been instructed to conduct an island-wide search along with police. Diazepam is a drug used for the treatment of anxiety and panic disorders, alcohol withdrawal symptoms, or muscle spasms and commonly known here as sleep-inducing pills.
A report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime on the misuse of prescription drugs in South Asia mentions that morphine, morphine sulfate, corex-D, piriton and diazepam are the most abused pharmaceutical drugs in Sri Lanka. “Diazepam is a prescribed medicinal drug and not recommended for those suffering from asthma or other breathing problems, high or low blood pressure, mental illness, kidney or liver disease, glaucoma, seizures, a history of drug or alcohol addiction, depression or suicidal tendencies,” Dr.Beneragama said.
He said that consumption of alcohol increased the effects of diazepam, and continuous use would heighten its side-effects.
“An overdose of this drug can lead to death. There would have been deaths gone unnoticed,” he added. Dr. Beneragama said that the support from Excise Department has been sought to inspect toddy and other liquor manufacturing and bottling plants as well as raid illegal places.
Health Minister Maitripala Sirisena has given orders to revoke the licence of the pharmacist in Pitakotte and institute legal action against the culprits. The Minister has also instructed the drug regulatory authority to be strict with pharmacies issuing such medicines without prescription but, said Dr Beneragama: “We have only 52 full-time Food and Drug Inspectors islandwide, so we need the public to inform us about pharmacies issuing drugs like these without prescription”.
Legal action had been taken against a Colombo pharmacy that had issued the drug to a young man who had later attempted suicide after an overdose. Officer-in-Charge of Kosgama Police, CI S.Herath said acting on a tip-off they raided house where the pharmaceutical drug was stored.
The 2012 handbook of drug abuse information issued by the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board states that diazepam was among lactose, sucrose, acetaminophen and caffeine, commonly used adulterants of heroin. Director General of the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board, K. Gamage, said that this controlled medicinal drug was often abused by narcotic addicts due to its increased intoxication level.
Superintendent of Excise, Prabath Jayawickrema, said samples had been sent to the Government Analysts for further tests on its effects. National Institute of Mental Health Director, Dr. Jayan Mendis, said pharmacists were not following the ethics of their profession: they issued this medicine on old prescriptions, sometimes even without prescriptions.
“The drug is taken by those who were once addicted to banned controlled drugs like corex-D that were abused as well as alcoholics looking for that extra sensation. Unfortunately pharmaceutical drug abuse can lead to many side-effects,” he said. The 2mg tablet sold at Rs.0.24, if used without a medical condition, can result in side-effects varying from dizziness, confusion, headaches, dry mouth, sexual problems, forgetfulness, breathing difficulties to loss of memory, weak or blurry vision, difficulty in urinating, feeling shaky or suicidal tendencies.
Man dies from drug cocktail
A man died after taking beer with diazepam, The Hindu newspaper reported from India on Friday. The news report said that a 38-year-old man died and two others were hospitalised in a serious condition after they consumed beer mixed with diazepam. Police officers recovered three strips of the drug, each containing 10 tablets, each weighing 10gm, from the room. The trio had consumed about 17 pills along with the liquor.
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