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FDCA to step up vigil to check drug abuse

The Food and Drugs Control Administration (FDCA), Gujarat is getting ready to pull the plug on increased abuse of medicinal drugs.

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The Food and Drugs Control Administration (FDCA), Gujarat is getting ready to pull the plug on increased abuse of medicinal drugs.

What is FDCA
The FDCA has a sanctioned staff strength of 1,120, but at present there are a little over 900 people working in the government arm. Their staff operates in 18 of Gujarat’s 25 districts. There are at least senior drug inspectors working is districts like Ahmedabad. Every drug inspector is expected to carry out at least 42 inspections every month apart from collecting samples of drugs to check quality. 

Action plan
According to HG Koshia, commissioner FDCA, the department is planning to increase the frequency of inspections and collecting samples. Moreover, the field staff will be told to give priority to inspection over other work to see that there is minimum abuse of sensitive drugs. It will ensure that such medicines are sold only against proper prescriptions by doctors and are not being used for substance abuse.

Importance of checks
Following the recent hooch tragedy in Gujarat, which over 150 people died in Ahmedabad, the state police have tightened noose around bootleggers, reducing the supply of liquor in the state. While, according to sociologists drug misuse for addiction is limited to a certain class or few people, it cannot be denied that some Bacchus lovers can actually turn to use of these drugs. So FDCA is proactively trying to negate or at least minimise it.

Drugs that are misused
Codien-containing medicines used most often in cough syrups are highly misused. People from lower middle class levels like labourers use this drug for addiction as ‘codien’ is derived from opium. Prolonged use of sleeping pills can also lead to addiction. In addition, potent analgesic brupiomorphine injections are frequently used. It is derived from morphine and is given to patients in case of unbearable pain.

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