From pain killers to cough syrups, addicts use anything for the fix

They will go to any length for a ‘fix’. Not sure what exactly the caterpillar was thinking when it instructed Alice (in Lewis Carrol's Alice in Wonderland) to have a bite of the mushroom, she grew and shrunk with each bite.

Surreal, yes, but perfectly normal in a bizarre universe populated by characters like the Mad Hatter and the March Hare. In the regular world, the experience would be termed hallucinogenic.

Such effects of some mushrooms in South American users has been well-documented as is that of cacti. But in a world fixated with the fix, people have gone much beyond mushrooms. From snake bites to tweaking chemicals in labs to abusing pain killers and cough syrups, the experiments have been a constant in the world of addicts and thrill-seekers.

The desperation of the human mind for forbidden pleasures is amazing, as is its flexibility for innovation. The good old cough syrup would not mean much to many, but some have turned these into potent vehicles for a ‘trip’.

Phensedyl and Corex, containing the highly addictive opium-based codeine phosphate, are the most abused. A rage among young addicts in the north-east a decade or so ago, it has spread across the country. Easily available over the counter and light on the pocket, its abuse has caught on in Mumbai too.

Use of opiads like Fortwin, an Analgesic, too, has been in vogue in the city. A combination of Fortwin and Diazepam (a benzodiazepine derivative drug, marketed as Vallium earlier) taken intravenously produces a dreamlike state and finally deep sleep. The abuse of prescription drugs is known to be common among doctors and paramedical staff. But the knowledge has spread. Even bored housewives are not loathe to experimenting with what is available to them around.

Those looking for prescription drugs come in the age group 14-60. A World Health Organisation estimate puts such abuse in alarming statistical perspective. Addiction to prescription drugs is 10 times more rampant than abuse of illegal drugs the world over, it says. Indian law prohibits the sale of drugs without a prescription, but that is hardly a deterrent.

The experimentation doesn’t stop here. Pain balm being used as bread spread is not a new phenomenon.

People also use syringes filled with distilled water. Injected directly into the nerve, it produces a hallucinogenic effect on the brain and the body. Among stationery products, the most abused is ink whitener solution, or diluter, which is inhaled by addicts by applying the liquid to a handkerchief or a piece of cloth. Addicts are known to misuse the solution used to make corrections on printed or written matter.

With the brain playing the role of laboratory, the only thing the law can do is to play the catch-up game.

Take hydrocodone for instance. Medically prescribed to alleviate high-intensity pain, it is rampantly misused by drug abusers for the high it provides. Costing anything between Rs500 and Rs1,500 each, the tablets are on sale online. These are cheaper than contraband such as cocaine and heroin — one gram of cocaine is sold for anything between Rs5,000 and Rs6,000.

The Narcotics Control Bureau is in a bind. In India, hydrocodone  features among substances banned under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. But in many countries, hydrocodone is a controlled drug, sold on prescription by a registered medical practitioner. On the other hand, in India, it is not sold but is available through international suppliers in cyber space.

In 2008, the Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) of the Mumbai police put a proposal before the home department to include 12 more items on the NDPS list. However, nothing much has changed for the users since then. The authorities can do little about the abuse of high intensity medically prescribed depressants. The products do not come under the NDPS Act.