Party hard till dawn, but better stay clear of Ketamine

Law enforcement agencies in the state as well as the Centre are in the process of listing Ketamine under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

NCB officers feel this would help bring down smuggling cases of Ketamine. Of late several people, including foreigners, have been arrested in connection with either smuggling Ketamine or manufacturing it illegally. Many youngsters too have been caught using Ketamine in as a recreational or party drug.

Ketamine, an officer said, is used in several South-East Asian countries to make party drugs. Though it is a controlled drug in India, it is banned and is in narcotic drug list of many countries.
Ketamine is used for manufacturing medicines for humans and animals. Anaesthetists use Ketamine for short surgical procedures, sedation and analgesia. It is also used as an analgesic in patients who do not respond well to opioids. It is hallucinogenic in nature and its abuse is rampant in South-East Asian countries, America, and Europe, the officer said.

India has turned out to be a major manufacturing hub and the international drug mafia uses Indian drug smugglers to buy Ketamine and channel it to markets in other South-East Asian countries, Europe, and the US. Combining Ketamine with a few chemicals helps produce party drugs, which are in high demand in the US and Europe.

At the regional co-ordination meeting on drug enforcement (Western Region), panelists discussed the merits of having Ketamine in the NDPS list. 

OPS Malik, director general of NCB, and top-level officers from the IB, the coast guard, the RPF, the Customs, the DRI, the FDA, and the police (Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, and Maharashtra) were among the panelists.

“There should be regular coordination and sharing of information among all law enforcement agencies,” Malik said. “Regular training of all agencies, including the courier service providers, is needed to achieve better results in combating the drug menace.”

The panelists also stressed on the need for strict vigil in airports, and sea routes. Also, it was important to keep tabs on foreigners trying to bring in drugs to the country, an officer present at the meet said.